Advent of a New Dawn
by La spina fra i lilla
Summary: They say it's not the destination, but the journey that matters. But without the destination, you are merely wondering a drift. Is there meaning in doing such? Drift along with us and find out. mild KyouxTohru. Review Onegai.
1. An Ordinary Day

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Author Notes : This story was written for the sole purpose of making one of the characters piss themself. Having said that, I have included fun little extras at the end of each chapter. Omake Theatre and some Japanese vocabulary, maybe a few other things. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed making them. Because this story takes place in Japan, with Japanese people, I will use Japanese references. Anything with an before or after it will have an explaination at the end of the chapter, under the title J-Notes. This is my first solo fanfiction, anyone interested in reading the stuff I have collaborated on can go to Flying Hamster of Doom. I warn you though, different characters from series that are not mainstream are used, so some of you might not get the humor.

Also, I am issuing a warning as of now, there are original characters. Their sole purpose is to provide imformation and move the story. I would not consider any of them Mary Sues. Even, the little girl who had a big part of the story. She is not the main character, can not beat everyone she meets, is not emo, does not get the guy in the end, and her role is limited. She is there simply to be cute. Now, on with the story.

The chapter title is a verse from the song An Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton

* * *

And so I close this long chapter of my life. I do not regret any of it, even that which was painful. There is no point in doing so for I cannot change any of it, nor do I wish to do so. I will, instead keep the lessons I learned close to my heart as I begin again. A life built from the ashes of an old one. I do not know what will happen so I will end this story here for the rest is still unwritten and I think I'll leave it that way. – Excerpt from The Road Home. A Drifters Diary.

s

The alarms going off only served to increase the urgency and panic of the situation. The raid could not have gone worse. The Bureau had only managed to capture a small percent of the cults followers and the Gate had still been activated. It's instability and sheer largeness was going to rip the fabric of Time and Space to shreds unless they could they could get it under control. This was just what those Paradise occult freaks had wanted. Yumi trembled as her fingers flew over the console, vainly attempting to stabilize the warp gate. "I think all it needs is a specific coordinate to open in, and it should be okay to close." Jacek turned sharply towards her. "Then do it!" "I've been trying, but I can't find a window." The ground shook as the energy discharge hit close to the team. What looked like part of a creature turned to stone rose up from the ground, upsetting equipment before stilling. Never making it all the way through the dimensional barrier, it remained a grotesque reminder of everyone's fate should they fail.

"I found one. Inputting coordinates now." Another discharge sent bodies flying and sparks igniting. With a shriek of protest the writhing mass of kinetic energy turned inward on itself. Yumi began to calm as the gate suddenly vanished. "Now all we need to do is shut it down and.." A different type of alarm interrupted her and created a different type panic.

"What is going on now?" Jacek asked .

"Oh my god. The gate...it...it's jumping to random locations in time and space. I can't get a lock on it to shut it down. I've never seen one do this before."

"Hey boss?" The new kid looked at them hesitantly.

"What?"

"Um...about the initial window..."

"Spit it out, kid!"

"There was human D.N.A. intercepted by the gate."

Silence fell over the whole team. Eyes widened as the shock set in. Yumi began to shake again, her hands covering her mouth. "Oh my god, what have I done. I didn't even think to scan the area for biologicals first. I just killed someone. Oh my god!"

Nevarez looked over from his station, a little shell shocked himself. "More bad news fearless leader. The gate is gone. Opened once more at the initial vector, then just vanished."

The shock had worn off of Yumi, and now she was sobbing into her hands. Noone knew what to say so all was silent.

s

Kyou was having a bad day. One that was getting progressively worse as it went on, finally ending with a cheep verbal shot from that no good, god damned rat. The roof just wasn't enough to calm him, so he had headed off into the woods. He needed more space apart from the others and more time by himself. He just wasn't going to get that back at Shigure's. So he ran as far as he could as fast as he could. Kyou found that running just for the sake of doing so sometimes help clear his mind when nothing else did. However, today was as previously stated not his day. He'd finally stopped to catch his breath when a distinctly unhealthy feeling came over him. The only thought he had time for was 'oh shit' and then it was gone...and so was he.

Had anyone capable of speech been there, they would have told a fantastical tale of the boy suddenly being surrounded by a dark light that would then implode in on itself. Leaving a momentary vacuum filled in with air so fast that it created a popping noise. But the only thing there was trees and the random strays that had been running with Kyou, hidden in the shadows.

Five minutes later the light returned. It looked slightly different this time. More formed, with a smooth, edged roundness that was lacking before. Strange symbols glowed violet as they scrolled across it's surface. Slowly it faded away, revealing it's contents.

A young man around 15 or 16 with long hair tied in a low ponytail stood, clutching tightly to a small girl about 12 years of age. The girl was trembling, her eyes shut tight. The man rubbed her back soothingly, rocking slightly until she stopped shaking. He lowered them both until she was standing on her own and whispered words of comfort in her ear.

"It's okay, Tokino, we're safe now. You can open your eyes."

"I was so scared Master. You could have been killed. I could have lost you." she replied. He only smiled warmly at her before patting her head. "No way. It'd take more then that to get rid of me." he chided softly. She smiled then. Bright, and shining, the smile that lit her face was like the sun rising after a stormy night. And just like that all her troubles were behind her. It was something her master envied about her, but couldn't hold against her. For Tokino, what was over was over and her mood and her innocence weren't effected by it. He'd seen her ruthlessly kill on the field of battle, then sleep the night away peacefully with no thought of it the next day. Battles left him jumpy to touch and high strung. One would be ill advised to try sneaking up on him, but not Tokino.

She was his hope and joy. She brought light to his life and heaven help the poor shmuck who dared harm her. Right now she was looking around at the trees with a wide eyed sense of wonder. Tokino had seen a lot of forest and had lived in woods before. Her master laughed. It was a low, quiet half chuckle of amusement. "I wonder what this world is like. Do you think there is a war going on here too. It seems really peaceful, but you can't always tell. Maybe they use magic here. I hope so I like learning new magic. What do you think, Master?"

"I think we had a long day. Let's scout out a safe place to camp for the night and then we can find out what this world has to offer."

"Yes Master." She gave a ridged military salute, then marched off in a random direction, singing goofball cadence as she went. He stood there a moment more, looking at the sky though pale blue strands of hair. He thought, for a brief instance, that it look kinda...familiar. But Tokino's voice was growing distant and he'd have time to wonder about the feeling later.

* * *

Omake

And now for something completely different.

We start with a small tube of, what appears to be, paste. Completely against common sense, the middle compresses. A rainbow explodes across the screen as the cap flies off. Marching along on it, the super deformed characters of this fic begin their happy chant.

"OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!"

And are promptly squashed by Godzilla.

(A/N: This was a rip off of Blue Seed Extras opening. The series was interesting, the extras were hilarious. I recommend the dvd for the Omake alone.)

Japanese word of the day.

Kaeru - to come home

Iriguchi - gate


	2. Right Turn, Wrong Universe

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Author Notes : I will be updating this literary piece of sludge once a week. Most likely on Friday's. The only way I can think to describe this is a Not-a-crossover. The crossover bits are already in the past and are referenced throughout the story. There are a lot of anime that with get used and some of you may not know them. Just go with the flow, and assume that if something is used that seems strange for Fruits Basket, it is probably from another series.

The title of this chapter is from the song Must Be Dreaming by Frou Frou.

* * *

I dreamt of her again tonight. Despite the intimacy I have just shared with another I still dreamt of her. The wind gently blowing the ribbons in her hair, the smile that I know is meant for me and me alone. This time when she stretched out her arms to me I felt as if I had betrayed her. I wonder, how can one betray a dream? A beautiful face with no name. –excerpt from The Winding Road. A Drifters Diary.

s

It had been two days now and Tokino was beginning to enjoy her new surroundings. Hunting for dinner in the woods, however, could be difficult. Not because of the prey but rather the lack there of. The area was inhabited mostly by rodents and strays. She was getting tired of small catches. There were only so many ways of cooking rat before you got bored with it. Dog and cat, well there was something about eating cat that just didn't sit well with either of them.

"So hungry. Master will be too if I don't get something soon. I wish he'd let me go into the town." The wind picked up a bit, carrying with it the most delicious scent. Her nose twitched in a way her master thought funny and all thought of discretion vanished. It is said that the driving force behind all animals is food and sex. Tokino was too young for sex and so it was that her stomach steered her right to the kitchen window of one Shigure Sohma.

Tohru had left the window open to let in the spring breeze while she finished up dinner. A feat that usually didn't take to long for her, however the past two days she had been distracted from her normal duties. Tokino alighted herself upon the window frame and watched the girl slowly stir the dish simmering on the stove. It smelled like curry, just spicy enough to give it a kick. Her mouth watered and she licked her lips, eyes glazed over. The girl at the stove gave a depressed sigh then turned, her face worried, toward the window. And promptly jumped a foot in the air.

"That smells really good." was all Tokino could say. "We haven't had curry in ages."

Tohru stared dumbfounded for a moment. Unsure of how to respond to the situation. What does one say to a girl who just appears out of nowhere in your kitchen window. Tokino, for her part couldn't have cared less if Tohru suddenly started spouting The Jabberwocky. So long as she could have some curry. It was just her luck that Tohru had made what was just recently thought of as extra. The girl in the window looked like she was about to dive right into the pot, and again it didn't look as if Kyou would be coming home tonight. He'd been gone for two days and while the others told her not to worry about it, the place just seemed empty without him.

"I have more then enough for everyone here if you'd like some." Tokino didn't notice that the smile accompanying the words fell a little flat.

"Really, I can have some!" She was about to help herself when she remember what she was suppose to be doing.

"Oh, but what about Master. I really shouldn't." The girl drooped slightly. It was right then that Tohru noticed it. There was something behind the child swaying just so as to not be from the wind. In fact it kinda looked like she had a tail. 'People don't have tails and it's rude to stare.' She silently scolded herself.

"We have plenty. Do you live around here? I don't remember hearing about neighbors. Here, I'll make you up a couple of bowls for the both of you. You can bring them back tomorrow." Here she handed over said bowls, and here Tokino fully entered the room. Tohru almost dropped the dishes. The girl did have a tail. Long, slender and ginger in color, it twitched in a pleased manner behind the child. She didn't seem to notice the reaction the appendage was getting.

"Thank you very much. We just moved here. My name is Tokino. My master gave it to me. I didn't have one before we met. What's yours?"

More then a little preoccupied with the tail Tohru gave a start before answering. " Pleased to meet you Tokino. I'm Tohru Honda if you ever need anything feel free to ask, and welcome to the neighborhood. Well, what there is of one." Both girls turned their gazes to the trees outside.

"Oh Tokino? If you don't mind...um...should you see a boy with orange hair on you way could you tell him to 'Please come home.' I'm worried about him, and I know that whatever happened to make him leave I'm sure we can work it out together. If you don't mind, that is."

Tokino looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time. She took in everything that is Tohru Honda, and suddenly was on edge. She had seen her before somewhere. It made Tokino uneasy and her tail slacken slightly. '... ribbons in her hair' she recalled her Masters words.

"Of course." It was lie delivered with a false smile. She had no intention of telling anyone, any such thing.

When she returned to the campsite she waited a moment before revealing herself. Instead taking the time to watch her Master. Her's, and noone else could have him no matter what. She took a lick of the curry, 'Master's is better.' An image of Tohru's hopeful smile flashed though her mind. She still liked the girl, she still wanted to be friends with her. But she wouldn't give up her Master without a fight.

He was her father, her mother, her older brother. Tokino watched the fire play across his hunched frame. The shadows cast by the flames made the blue of his hair seem black and endless. Yes, he was _her_ family,_ her_ protector. Just as she was his.

"Tokino," he paused what he was doing, "I think I'm losing my mind. I could swear I smell curry."

"You do Master."

"Why do I smell curry?"

"Because the nice family that lives on the other side of the ridge gave me some. I don't think anyone else lives around here." She stepped forward and offered up his bowl.

He took it from her smiling, and without reprimand. She relaxed, glad he wasn't mad at her for talking to strangers in a strange land.

"That was nice of them. I'll have to thank them in person sometime. Come sit beside me and I'll show you what I've learned about this place so far." They fell into a routine of eating and making plans. Occasionally a stray would wonder into their camp site and sniff around curiously before leaving. Darting almost silently back into the black forest surrounding them. There were a lot of stray dogs and cats. It made sense seeing as the massive rodent population in the area provided both with a steady diet. He thought it odd. The forest wasn't all that big for such a large population. But neither thought too much about it, they had seen weirder.

Tokino returned the bowls washed, and sparkling to the houses doorstep the next day. A day later they bought their own food in the city at the woods border, and she forgot about Tohru and her request for the time being. Now her Master was looking though public records (hacked into) on the dimensional computer. A gift from Miss Washu when he had graduated from the Science Academy.

He sighed, and ran his fingers though his still damp hair. He still wasn't sure if opening shop would be a good idea in this city. Would the revenue be worth it? It wasn't like they really needed the income. They had more then enough to live like kings for at least a hundred years. Maybe he'd go back to school. It had been a while sense he'd graduated last, and it could be fun. It was a good idea to have a diploma from high school at least. Maybe he'd go to college instead. See if they had any advancements in areas he had already studied. He doubted it.

Tokino was playing a game with a cat that had wandered into camp. Catch the mouse, release the mouse, catch it again, toy with it, kill it, catch a new one. It was just as much her choice what they did. She would be affected by it as well. Often she would attend the local junior high and sometimes the college with him. He had made her promise to be the top student only by a small margin. Sometimes even come in second on the class ranking. Yes school would be good, some normalcy after that hellish, war torn world. Five days alone in the wild had calmed his nerves and he felt he could interact with people again.

Or at least not kill anyone by accident.

"Maybe I'll enroll in the local high school. It's been a while since we've gone. I wonder if I've forgotten anything in the last fifty years. What do you think, Tokino?

She looked up distracted from the game and the mouse escaped.

"I think you should dye your hair back to it's original color. Denim blue just isn't you Master." Her new friend came back with another mouse, or maybe it was the same one. He gave the thought a moment, decided she was right and then brought his attention back to the disembodied screen. A flick of his wrist and a hole appeared in thin air. A small bottle dropped out into the palm of his hand. He poured the contents on his head. Instantly the blue ran out of the strands leaving behind a brilliant orange. Bright enough to be noticeable but not so bright as to be hard on the eyes.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," she hadn't even look up from her game this time.

Back to the task at hand. He brought up a list of schools in the area. Muttering under his breath as he scrolled though the information.

"Too distinguished..."

"Not enough after school programs..."

"I can believe they allow grades that low..."

"I'm not doing that again..."

"All girls, no way in hell..."

"Ah, this looks promising."

Tokino, finished with her game, and came to look over his shoulder. "Kaibara?"

"It's actually pretty hard to get into but at the same time is under the radar so to speak. I think it should do. Now I just have register. My real name should be fine. I haven't used it in a while. Do you want to go to? You could be the genius child prodigy. You love doing that."

"No, that's okay. I want to play with kids my own age."

"By that I assume you mean junior high. Tokino I doubt anyone around here could live to be your age."

"Master! You know what I mean."

He smiled over his shoulder, then returned his attention to the screen. A frown of confusion slipped over his face. "That's strange."

"What's the matter, Master?"

"According to this I'm already attending as a second year student." His face went blank then. Mind going to the obvious conclusion. "Could it be? After all this time could it really be? Am I...home?" His questions were answered with silence. He studied the picture on the screen. It was definitely him. His face stared back at him, scowling. His hair was cut short, and his eyes glared at the camera, and it was his name in bold kanji. Kyou Sohma.

He spent the rest of the day digging up every bit of information he could find on himself. Family, friends, grades, hobbies. Until finally, the moment Tokino had been dreading. He found her. Her picture more accurately. They went to the same school along with three of his cousins. One of which lived with him and the girl. Or so it appeared. He didn't seem to mind the average grade point or the note of delinquence in his file. All that mattered was being home.

Which was waiting just over the ridge.

Still he waited. Wondering. Had they missed him? Did they get along? Would they welcome him back? Accept who he had become? Should he even tell them or act as if the last _five hundred plus years _hadn't happen? Would he even fit in anymore? Had he to begin with...?

The last one haunted him for the rest of the day. Had in fact haunted him most of his life. Sometimes, when he had tried to picture his family in the past he got the feeling he was left out a lot. He hadn't liked the thought much, and now faced with the answer, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. It was three days later when he worked up the courage to find out.

Tokino found him early Sunday morning by the lake. He was crouched by two large stones on the shore. Fingers ghosting over deep groves that had been cut into one. A far away look in his eyes. But that didn't matter to her. What mattered... what had her frozen in place was his hair. His long, beautiful hair was gone. Cut short like in the picture. She wanted to cry.

"Master, what did you do to yourself?"

"I figured I could use a change."

"But you never cut your hair. Like Duo. You said it was all you had left."

"We're home now Tokino. I don't need it."

"Maybe I still did." He looked at her long and hard. At the tears on her cheeks and in her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Tokino. I'll tell you what. I didn't throw it away so you can have it. I'll turn it into a scarf or something." He stood up lifting her up with him. It was lying in long strands on top of his traveling cloak. Bundling it up, he put it in the middle of a circle drawn in the sand. Placing his hands on the circle he turned to her. "Let's see if alchemy works here. Shall we."

The circle glowed then and when it faded, all that remained was a long orange cloth. Kyou picked it and examined the work. Satisfied, he draped it over Tokino's head. She giggled, still teary eyed, and nuzzled it to her nose.

"It smells like Master."

She removed the old scarf that was tied around her head. A pair of ginger cat ears popped up before disappearing again beneath the new one. Kyou picked up the cloak, and out of habit threw it back on. "Come on kid, lets go. Other side of the ridge, right?"

"Um, Master? I...I think I'll stay here."

"What? Why? You're an important part of my life. I want you with me when I get there. You've already met Tohru, and said you liked her."

"They are your family, not mine."

He sat in front of her and lifted her face. "You are family as well. Never forget that. But I won't make you go." He waited a moment, until he was sure she understood. "Alright, how about you meet me in the back after dark. We'll work it out from there. That will give you plenty of time to think about what _you _want to do." She nodded her head and smiled at him. Knowing he would do his best to not let her down. He stood and looked down at himself nervously.

"How do I look?"

"Like a week ago a snake demon almost ate you on King Griffith's orders."

"Good then."

s

Tohru was just finishing this morning breakfast dishes when the doorbell rang. Yuki was upstairs reading, and Shigure was in his office. He probably wouldn't have gotten it anyway. Drying her hands off as she went, she wondered who would be here so early on a Sunday morning. She smoothed her dress, opened the door, and completely froze. He was wearing a dingy looking cloak that had seen better days, but there was no mistaking the boy waiting to be let in. Relief and joy fill her whole being, and she barely restrained herself from leaping at him. Instead she smiled so wide her face almost split and tears came to her eyes.

"Kyou!!"

* * *

Omake

And now take two

Again we start with a small tube of paste that is compressed in the middle. The rainbow shoots out and the s.d.'s make their appearance. The happy chant falls from their lips as they blissfully skip along.

"OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!"

They are interrupted when a flock of birds dive bombs them out of nowhere. The famished fowl scoop them up and continue on their way. Wow, you can still hear their little voices screaming in the distance.

Japanese Word of the Day

Mori - woods(forest)

Noneko - stray cat


	3. Turn Around and Pick Up the Pieces

nseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Author Notes : This whole thing was written just for this moment, as previously stated in the first chapter.

Chapter title from the song Pieces by Hoobastank

* * *

It is believed that the gate opened in the same space that I was occupying. Now two things **cannot** occupy the same space at the same time. I should have died. Or perhaps been erased from existence. Instead the gate became a part of me and since I could not completely contain all of it, and myself, Tokino was created. She is a part of myself and apart of the gate. Her body fashioned from my memories. Memories that were lost at the same time as her birth. I wonder though if it was not me who locked them away. If it was not me who carved the building blocks that make up this barrier around them. If I simply do not wish to remember. – Excerpt from Diverging Paths. A Drifters Diary.

s

Yuki had momentarily looked up from his book when the doorbell rang, but seeing as Tohru was downstairs hadn't felt it necessary to answer. Now, she was making a big commotion down there. Cats do not have the monopoly on curiosity. Yuki was full of it in fact. What could have gotten the girl so worked up at this time of day. Putting aside Harry Potter(he was having trouble getting into the story anyway), he left to find out.

Maybe her creepy friends had stopped by. No she wouldn't have made this much of a fuss if it was just them. He stilled on the stairs as the thought came to him, that it might be someone from the main house. No, he'd know if it was his brother, and the others weren't that big a deal. At least not in his opinion. Tohru came rushing by, a tattered looking clothe in hand.

"Oh Yuki-kun, isn't it wonderful. Kyou-kun is back safe and sound," and with that she was gone. 'Oh yes it is wonderful' he thought. He had a bone to pick with the stupid cat. A cocky grin came to his features then, and he continued into the main room. Shigure had apparently emerged as well. He was sitting at the table across from the cat. Both were quiet and Kyou looked a bit uncomfortable. 'Good, he should be.' Shigure smiled, as Yuki came into the room.

"Ah, Yuki-kun, just in time. Kyon was just about to tell us were he's been hiding all this time. Weren't you now?"

Kyou looked over his shoulder from were he had been studying the table and committed eye contact with the other boy. He looked as if he was about to say something, but Yuki wanted none of it.

"I couldn't care less were the stupid cat as been." Kyou blinked a few times in rapid succession and tilted his head slightly, as if confused by the others demeanor. Tohru reappeared with tea and snacks.

"Maybe now isn't the time. He seems upset about something." This was said to Shigure with the utmost innocent expression anyone had ever seen. Kyou turning his back on him, ticked Yuki off like nothing else. Somehow Kyou always knew which button to push to make him mad. The week away hadn't changed that. What happened next Yuki can't be sure of. One minute he was yelling about Kyou making Tohru worry about his worthless hide and about to kick the stupid cat though the door. The next minute he found himself shoved against the wall. A kunai held centimeters from his jugular.

Eyes blazing like cold fire burned into his own. If he had been a bit less scared he might have wet himself, but right now he was beyond that. Body to tense. A low, frozen voice spoke in his ear.

"Only cowards and assassins attack from behind. And I can't stand either."

A clattering of cups and plates suddenly broke threw the terror. Kyou's eyes cleared and he seemed to come back to himself. His eyes widened in horror, and he backed away. The kunai slipped from his grasp and imbedded itself, half to hilt, straight into the floor. A testament to it's balance and sharpness. Yuki slid down the wall and here is were he lost control of his bladder. An uneasy stillness fell over the room. If there had been a grandfather clock, one would have heard every gear shift. Kyou looked down at his hands and began to shake slightly. A deep, and somewhat crazed sorrow overtook him.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was over it. I didn't mean to. They were right. I've changed to much to go back. I can't...Maybe I shouldn't have come."

He turned about to leave when a small hand grabbed his arm. Tohru stared up at him, the dishes forgotten.

"No. Don't go away again. Please you just came back. I know it's selfish of me to ask...but please don't go. I know we can work it out. Please."

He relaxed under her quivering stare. Placing his hand over hers, he smiled.

"Okay, I'll stay. For you. I'll help clean up the mess," he gave a disgusted sniff in Yuki's direction, "both of them. Since I caused them."

"Oh no, the tea! I spilled it all over. I'm so sorry. I'll clean it up right away." And just like that she ran off into the kitchen once more. This time for towels and a broom. Kyou stared after her dumbfounded. Slowly his shoulders began to tremble, then his body. He bent over and wrapped his arms around his waist. For a moment Shigure thought that perhaps the kick had connected and that he was hurt. Then Kyou laughed. A full blown, honest to goodness laugh. It died down soon and he hurried to the kitchen to help.

Shigure stared after him more then a little confused. Yuki was beginning to stand now and seemed more than shaken. His world had just changed, drastically. Never before had he lost, and so easily at that. It was impossible. Where had the weapon come from? Kyou had never moved like that before. So fast and agile. His wrist and arms hurt from the pinning and his leg hurt from the block. There would be bruises there tomorrow. Not to mention what had almost become of his throat.

Speaking of which, gently his hand moved to rub at his neck. His eyes locked on the dagger still in the floor. Apparently, Kyou forgot about it or didn't think much of leaving it were it lay. Shigure watched the youth from his seat. His eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"Perhaps it would be wise to go change into some dry pants. Before you catch a fever. The weather isn't that nice just yet, and the smell leaves something to be desired."

Yuki turned bright red. A look that didn't suit him at all, and clashed horribly with his complection. It was now that he noticed his disgrace and quickly he departed to his room.

"Don't worry. I won't tell any impressionable people what happened," followed after him from the sitting room. It was later that he realized that Shigure had only said _impressionable people,_ not anyone. That was after Ayame burst though the door the next day making a big deal about it. Yuki didn't listen for long. So after the words adult diaper left the older brother's mouth so did Ayame. Though the door on his backside, hard. Yuki could still beat his brother after all. But that was Monday, right now Yuki had other things on his mind.

Kyou had some how managed to get that good in a week. But how? The floor had been cleaned by the time he had snuck back down. Of course it had. He'd stayed in his room for most of the day, to embarrassed to come out. He was somewhat relived to note that the kunai had been removed. The hole it left however would take more then a good moping to fix.

"How?" He asked the mark. "It doesn't make any sense. He's not that good, so how? Tell me how did he beat me?"

The hole in the floor stubbornly kept the answer to itself.

s

Kyou didn't know why, but Tohru seemed really excited at the win. In fact she seemed to think it was important enough to warrant a treat. So they had gone out to eat. Just the two of them. Shigure had, had this strange look on his face, and said something about going to see a good friend. Kyou didn't know why, but he didn't completely trust this Shigure character. He seemed kinda like he was plotting something.

Maybe it was just his imagination. Either way he was having lunch at a outdoor café with his, quite literally, dream girl. He would have to bring back a carry bag for Tokino. She'd be sad she had missed out, but he hadn't been able to call to her in time to leave. Tohru was smiling and babbling on in a way that was oddly pleasant.

"...for helping me clean up you didn't have to. I'm glad you were able to get the dagger out of the floor it was in there pretty deep," other patrons looked up at them from their own meals. Tohru didn't notice and Kyou just ignored them. "I hope Yuki is going to be alright. I didn't see any blood or wounds on his neck and I know you'd never hurt him."

Oh right. Yuki. That was the kid's name.

"I'll try apologizing again later. When he's ready to come out of his room. I really don't know why I lost control like that. I haven't been that angry in along time." She gave him a look that he couldn't quite decipher. He took it to mean he got angry a lot before the gate.

"I mean...you know...lately." It was a lame cover. He knew it.

"I'm happy to know you've been doing good." And she bought it. She was in fact happy for him. Was she stupid, or just that kind hearted? He liked the latter option. After lunch they walked around town for a bit. It was on a side road not far from the school that he saw it. The answer to the Tokino issue if she decided not to stay at the house with him. Not only that but he could use it in another beneficial way as well.

"Dinner was excellent as always my flower. Don't you boys agree. In fact I'd say it seemed tastier then usual. How about you Yuki?"

The boy scowled nastily at Shigure, but complimented the meal as well. Though it was noted that he still wasn't able to look anyone in the eye. Really, there was a dangerous weapon involved it was nothing to be ashamed about. Tohru had told him so all day. Kyou had apologized a dozen times and still he wouldn't lift his head. Kyou had more important matters to attend to besides the boys damaged pride.

Thanking Tohru for the meal, he excused himself from the table. Outside the air had gotten cool, and a soft breeze ruffled his hair. He was still getting used to it shortness. The porch wasn't the best place for this meeting, so the roof would have to do. Noone should bother him up there. A single jump saw him safely to the top. Now it was only a matter of calling his wayward charge. He closed his eyes, and held as still as death, focusing all his senses on the world around him. It was a tricked he'd picked up in his travels. To extend himself beyond his body.

It was not long before he located Tokino. He turned in her direction and whispered her name into the wind. A minute later she was at his side.

"Good evening Master. How was your day? I had lots of fun exploring."

"I'm sure you did. I had fun too. So have you decided if you want to stay here or not?"

"I would rather we lived somewhere else." He didn't miss the 'we'. If fact he had a good idea of what the problem was...and the solution. Hopefully Tokino would like the idea as well.

"I saw a nice little corner store up for sale. It's got it's own apartment upstairs. I was thinking we could open up a shop and you could live in the rooms above." She looked at him with an upset expression.

"Me? But what about you? You won't live there with me? But Master..." He cut her off with hand held to her mouth.

"I'll live in both places."

"Huh? But even if you used Kage Bushin you wouldn't be able to pull it off. You can't do both."

"Who said anything about ninja tricks. I'm talking science. I'll make a portal in between the apartment and my room here. That way we'll only be a step away. Well, except when we're in school. Natsumi can watch the store then. You can have Cannoli to keep you busy, and if you get lonely you can visit as often as you like."

She seemed to think it over, and at first he was afraid she would be upset.

"You don't have to answer right away. You can think about it as long as you need."

"You'll sneak me some of Tohru's food."

"Of course. That reminds me I brought you some dinner."

Kyou held out the carry bag, now full with lunch and dinner. Steam rose up from the bag. He had snuck it into the microwave before coming out. Tokino snatched the bag out of his hands and began to eat. A thoughtful expression upon her face.

"Okay deal. But you have to set up the lab at the apartment."

"Okay, okay. You drive a hard bargain kid. Oh yeah, no using the lab to make weapons for school. You have to learn to solve your differences in non violent ways. I don't want another call from a principal saying you chased a kid with a laser rifle."

"He had it coming."

"Tokino."

"He did."

"Fine. What's done is done. Let's go buy a building shall we. I wonder what we should call the store. How about This and That Treasures. What do you think?"

"I think that snake demon hit your head harder then we thought." But she was smiling, and that's what Kyou had been going for. A week later, a small store called Mischief and Mayhem (in English) would open for business. Inside was the most curious assortment of items anyone had seen. Some were made upstairs in a lab noone else knew about, and some were collected from places noone had dreamed of. Magic elixirs and jewel stones would become popular trinkets and gifts. But that was later. For now they watched the night sky, and made up constellations until they couldn't keep their eyes open anymore.

It had been a good day.

* * *

Omake

And now for the continuation

Okay, let's give this another try. The tube squishes in the middle and out comes a rainbow. The s.d. characters parade out. They're a little worse for wear, but otherwise in high spirits as they limp along. Undaunted, they start up their chant.

"OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!"

A distant whistling from above is cause for stillness. They look up confused...and are crushed by a flaming hunk of space rock.

Funny, I don't recall a meteor shower in today's forecast.

Japanese Word of the Day

Mise - store/shop

Musume - girl


	4. Words Can't Bring Us Down

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Author Notes : The anime mentioned in the opening is called Princess Princess, which has recently been lincensed in the U.S. In it an all boys high school chooses the prettiest boys and, more or less, requires them to dress as girls when not in class to boost moral. It occasionally hints at being shonen ai, but nothing definite, so you don't have to see that way. And no, this story is NOT shonen ai. I will, however, leave opportunities for you to make what you will of it, but that will all be past reference.

The chapter title comes from the song Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

* * *

I still think Fujimori should have mentioned this program of theirs, but I believe with time I can get used to it. Not that I will **ever** be happy about wearing a dress. The perks with the princess program aren't to bad. I mean all my supplies are paid for now, but I have to parade around in gothic lolita wear, and cheer on other clubs instead of being in them. I have my own room and free meals but the wig itches and the high heals hurt my feet. At least I don't have familial issues like the others. I don't think I do anyway. I wonder for perhaps the thousandth time what they are like. My family. Class is starting soon so I won't ponder it for now. Really, a warning in the schools brochure or web site would have been nice. –Excerpt from The Road Less Traveled. A Drifters Diary.

s

It wasn't the welcoming smell of a homemade breakfast that woke Shigure on Monday morning. Nor was it the warm caress of the sun. In fact, the sun had yet to show itself. Dawn was just breaking when he shot awake as the earth trembled and the house shook. As fast as it came it was gone leaving only one very confused author in it's wake. Unable to go back to sleep now that his nerves on edge he decided to investigate.

The strays weren't talking about it, whatever it was and the teenagers upstairs were all still asleep. So what could have made that strange quake. It had been almost like a sonic boom of sorts. Making his way outside he found the culprit.

Apparently not all the teenagers were asleep.

"Kyou, what are doing up at this ungodly hour and making such a racket too?"

"Basics." Such a simple answer and yet it didn't explain anything. Least of all the giant pit now in the backyard. Kyou was standing in the middle dressed in workout clothing.

"So destroying my house isn't enough, now you have to attack my yard?"

Kyou looked at the house confused for a moment.

"I didn't destroy the house. I was just practicing a basic kata but I can move it farther into the woods if you want."

"You do that. But that still doesn't answer the question of 'why so early in the morning?"

"It's not early." They both turned to see the first hints of the rising sun.

"Not early indeed. Either way fill in the hole when your done. And since you saw it fit to wake me up you can make me something to eat. Getting up before the sun has made me famished and once I'm up I find it difficult to go back to sleep. I need to speak with you anyway."

Twenty minutes later Shigure found himself presented with a freshly washed Kyou and a bowl of cereal. He supposed it would have to do until Tohru came down to make breakfast. He was mildly disappointed, he had been hoping to see the boy in the frilly pink apron that Tohru used. The image would have been hilarious and more then have made up for the rude awakening. Kyou was staring intently at him, ignoring his own bowl. It was making him uneasy.

"You wanted to talk." Right to the point.

"Ah, yes. About school today. You won't be going, Akito wants to have a word with you about your little disappearing act. He was quite upset with you."

"That's fine. I have something I need to do today anyway. I should be available after eleven."

Shigure watched for some sign of a joke or sarcasm but there wasn't any. Nor was there the usual anxiety that the younger generation got at the sound of the name. He even got the impression that Kyou was serious about making the man wait for him. How interesting that the boy seemed not to be worried at all. At the very least he should have made some sort of complaint about being told what to do and were to go. Shigure narrowed his eyes and took in the boy sitting across the table. He looked like Kyou and sounded like Kyou, but didn't talk or act like him.

Maybe he was reading to far into it. Kyou had never treated Akito with the same respect and fear that the others had. At least not to Shigure's knowledge. It was there sure, but different. Not as much of it maybe. Of course, right now he didn't act as if he had any clue as to what Akito was like.

"Would you stop that. I'm trying to eat and it's kind of annoying."

Shigure snapped out of his thoughts then only to find Kyou giving him a strange look.

"Stop what?"

"You were staring at me. I find it disturbing when men stare at me like I'm a plate of Matsusaka Beef. Besides it's rude."

"I wasn't staring at you. I was hard at work thinking of plot developments for my new book."

"Uh huh. Sure. Just don't it again, it's creepy." He gave a shudder and mumbled something about bad memories then went back to his cereal. This only made the older even more curious than before, but he managed to put a lid on it for now. An hour later Tohru made her way downstairs, fully dressed and ready for school. Her surprise at seeing the two of them up was disregarded in favor of making breakfast and starting a few chores before school.

Kyou had gone out back, presumably to fix the yard, when Yuki managed to drag himself out of bed. It was probably for the best that they didn't start out the day with any interaction. Tohru was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be attending class that day. She made him a lunch and told him have a nice day, but one could she had been looking forward to spending time with him at school.

Yuki had spaced out at the mention of the visit with Akito later in the day. He didn't say much the rest of the morning.

"Don't do or say anything stupid when you see him. I don't care what happens to you but I don't want Miss Honda or myself dragged into it because of you."

"Anything stupid? Do you mean trying to hit him from behind or taking out my anger at my own insecurities on someone else?"

Yuki glared and Kyou smiled.

"Like your one talk. Just behave and show him respect." With that he turned to the waiting Tohru and they headed off. Kyou watched them leave and considered the conversation, such as it was. 'Was I like that before. I guess I should look into it. Maybe if I have time today I'll see about talking to someone who would know...but not Shigure.' He looked at the man in question who was pretending to read a newspaper, but was really spying on him. 'Definitely not Shigure.'

"I'm going out now as well. I'll be back shortly. My business really shouldn't take to long, then we can go to see Akito."

"That is fine. I'll let the main house know we'll be by around noon." He didn't look away from his paper.

"Noon then."

s

At nine o'clock Tensuke Amaguchi opened the door to the little corner store nervously. The boy had called last night to set up this appointment. He was still a kid, but his credentials had checked out. He spoke as if he knew what he was doing too. Of course he still wouldn't be showing the property to him if it wasn't for the Sohma name. Amaguchi looked the boy over again. The kid was kinda scary in his opinion. What with the dyed hair and the black trench coat. He had brought a little girl with him as well. A sister perhaps.

The two of them belonged in school, not looking to buy a store. But in the end the amount of zeros offered for the building had won out. He watched the two inspect the place with a critical glance.

"The previous owners had to move away due to family issues. I believe a nasty divorce. As part of the settlement they sold the place to us and divided the profits. The building itself is only ten years old and the apartment upstairs is a newer addition of four years ago. The plumbing and structural integrity were both recently checked out. May I ask what you plan to do with the place?"

"Well you already have so there is no point in not answering is there."

'Little punk' he thought.

"We were thinking a curiosities shop. I have quite the collection of...unique items. And the apartment upstairs is how many bedrooms?"

"Two and it's own bath."

"That's fine. It'll do. The agreed upon price can be taken care of now. I would like to get everything settled as soon as possible."

"That's all? We haven't even seen the upstairs. Don't you want to see if it matches your criteria?

"It's fine. I can handle any changes needed on my own."

"What about your family. I assume they would want you to show it to them before they allow you to purchase the property."

"What makes you think they have any say in this. The only one who needs to agree is Tokino. She has already seen the upstairs and says she likes it. That is good enough for me. It is my decision to buy this place and I do so with my own earnings."

Amaguchi didn't know what to say to that. Was this kid one of those internet tycoons he'd heard about on tv? The Sohmas were said to have genius' in the family. Was he one of them? At any rate he'd better just go with it. He didn't like the idea of running afoul of such a powerful family. He'd heard rumors, nasty, painful rumors.

"I'll just go print up the paper work. It will be ready for you to sign by tomorrow."

"I already had it done. They should be at your office by now. We can close on this deal when we get there. Seeing as you seem rather nervous I thought perhaps you'd like to finish this quickly."

Amaguchi began to sweat. He didn't really want to sell to him. There was just something about selling to a sixteen year old that didn't seem legal.

"You of course have the proper permits to open a business. Correct?" A last ditch effort.

"Of course." Failed.

s

"So you say he's acting strange. How so? I mean carrottop is always acting strange if you ask me." Uotani picked at a piece of her lunch that looked a little suspicious. She hated ordering at the cafeteria.

"Perhaps it has something to do with why I could not pick up his waves last week. It was a most disturbing sensation." Hanajima didn't seem all that disturbed.

"Did he say were he went? Everyone has been worried." Momiji felt it was prudent to leave out why the main house had made a big deal out of it.

"I don't know why though. He's gone off without telling them before." Hatsuharu didn't look as if he really cared one way or the other, but then again that was how he normally looked.

"I don't care where he went. He can go back and stay there. Then maybe we can all have some more peace and quiet." Yuki had moved on from terrified to bitter by this morning and didn't like the topic of today's lunchtime conversation

"All he would tell me is that he needed some time away to think. Ever since he got back though it's like there's this deep, dark secret that he's keeping." All those with the name Sohma shifted uncomfortably and tried to look nonchalant. It didn't work.

"Not that. I mean something else. Oh no, wait...that's not what I meant... I mean... please forget I said anything!" Five sets of eyes stares at poor Tohru in varying degrees of confusion and slight exasperation. She withered under their combined weight. Momiji figured now was the time to change the subject without actually doing so. There was something he wanted Yuki to confirm.

"Shigure was at the main estate talking to Hatori yesterday."

"So, sensei often comes by to talk with Hatori." Haru regarded the smallest of them with a 'so what' look.

" He said Kyou beat Yuki. Almost killed him with a ninja dagger." A moment of silence as all eyes turned to Yuki. Haru stood up suddenly. The air around them seemed to thicken drastically.

"I'll pound him into the ground! The miserable cheater."

"You can't beat him, you never have." Yuki had grabbed the back of Haru's uniform to prevent him from rushing off and getting lost whilst looking to avenge him. Black Haru loose on the streets and looking to pick a fight wasn't a good combination.

"You don't even know were he is, and even if you did you'd just get lost on the way there." Momiji supplied. "So it is true then, he finally beat you?"

Yuki turned red and released Haru who had seemed to be settling down now. He turned to Yuki and grasped both wrists. "Allow me to restore your honor. I'll destroy that bastard."

Tohru was wringing her hands in her napkin and her friends were watching in interest. So were several other students who had been enjoying the spring air for lunch. The girl looked around nervously, wishing she knew a way to defuse the situation. Yuki winced as his cousin pressed on the bruised flesh of his wrists. Kyou had a strong grip.

"Well you see he was just defending himself. Yuki was going to kick him and ... and ... he just got carried away. He didn't mean to and he apologized. He did. He even promised not to carry weapons while in the house." Tohru wasn't sure if that was going to help cool things down or make them worse.

"Well, well. Imagine the prince here picking a fight."

"Yes, and losing at that. It would certainly explain the discord in his waves this fine day."

"You know Hana, I don't think I've heard of him ever losing. In anything. Is the world supposed to be ending soon."

"I was not informed of any such event. In any case, I do sense a disturbance. A change if you will." It was Hanajima's turn to be stared at. The chime signaling the end of break was heard and the mood was broken. Yuki was grateful for the interference. He wasn't looking forward to answering any more questions about yesterday. Haru was still black but he'd calm down soon enough, he hoped.

s

Tokino looked up from the box she was unloading when the door to her new apartment opened. It was one o'clock and master had just come back. She raced around the doorway and was about to leap into his arms when she came up short. He didn't look so good. There was an air of depression all around him as he slowly removed his shoes.

"Master what's wrong? You're sad."

"It's nothing to worry about Tokino. Just, things didn't go so well."

"Was that Akito person not happy to see you? Was he mad at you? It's not your fault."

He gave her a small smile for her kindness. For some reason it always made him feel a bit better whenever she said something like that. After that horrible fiasco with the head of the family he thought he was beginning to understand why.

"If he did something to you, you let me know. Sailor Tokino will beat down anyone who stands in the way of Love, Justice and her Master."

He couldn't help but laugh as she struck a ridiculous pose. It was enough to cheer him up even if it was only a tiny bit. He wondered briefly if he ever properly thanked Usagi for her influence on his charge. He didn't think so. After all words, and specially made bouquet of fragrant, bio-engineered fire spitting plants just couldn't quite convey his gratitude. Magical girls...ugh.

"Thank you Tokino, but that won't be necessary. I just found out that some people in my family are more unpleasant then others, and we happen to have different views about certain things.

"Like Akito seems to think that I should bow down to her/his/whatever's wish that I live in a confined space with only herself as company and I think she needs a padded cell, and should not be given anything more dangerous then a plastic spoon."

"Confined? What do mean by 'confined' Master?" She seemed on edge now.

"I'll tell you later. But know this. No matter what, I won't let anything bad happen to either of us."

"I know Master. There was never any doubt."

"Right, now let's set up that spacial warp. Were do you want it?"

s

Hatori shut the door as quietly as possible. Akito was finally asleep. Or more to the point the sedative had finally taken affect. Kureno looked up at him in silent question. It wasn't often that the doctor had to resort to such extremes. Then again Akito hadn't been this bad in awhile. If they hadn't been able to calm him down he might have hurt himself.

"He'll be fine in a few hours."

"Do you know what caused this?

"I'm guessing the meeting with Kyou didn't go the way he planned it to."

"I heard him yelling about Yuki and a bet, but couldn't make it all out."

"It's probably for the best that you didn't. Still, I would like to know the whole story. Shigure only told me some exaggerated tale about a ninja battle."

"I would like to know myself. This is the first I've heard of it at all. Though it's not surprising, Shigure doesn't talk to me much."

The conversation ended there. No more needed to be said.

* * *

Omake

And now for more fun with chibi's

Alright then, once more. Once more the tube. Once more the rainbow. Once more the chibi's. They seem a bit reluctant this time, but they preserver. Soldiering on they, once more, begin their chant.

"OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!"

They pause and tense up. Their little heads swivel in all directions. When nothing happens for a minute or two, they relax and decide to march on. Without warning, it seems, the bullet train out of Tokyo flattens their tiny, and completely unaware bodies. Well, that was unexpected. Perhaps the railway isn't the best place for this.

Japanese Word of the Day

Tataku - to contend with

Gakusei - student

J-Notes

Matsusaka Beef- is really, really expensive. The cattle is fed on beer and massaged to enhance the marbling and texture of the meat. One 7oz. Tenderloin can go for 16,300 yen in a restaurant. 1.3lbs can go for 9,500 yen at the store. Obviously, an average household wouldn't be eating it.


	5. We Don't Need No Education

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Author Notes : You should have figured out by now that the titles for the chapters are song lyrics. I am warning you now, my taste in music is wide and varied, some of the songs may not be to your liking. Also I am terrible at remembering titles and band names. In fact, I had to look up more then half of the ones I used. So if I have listed the wrong artist or title please feel free to tell me, so I can make the appropriate corrections.

Title from The Wall by Pink Floyd and then later by Korn

* * *

I am really beginning to enjoy this school. Chiyo is adorable and watching Tomo, and Koyomi fight is always entertaining. Yukari-Sensei is something else, but I think I'm most amused by Osaka. I think I might be getting over that thing I have about people named Kagura, as well. But that isn't what is on my mind right now. I finally talked to the girl in my class that has been stalking me. Sakaki is really a nice girl once you get to know her. At least, now I know why she was drawn to me the way she was. Cat radar, go figure. I told her, of course, it would have been mean not to. She wasn't freaked out at all and in fact has taken to me even more than before. She wasn't even that upset about the _'other thing'_. Something about real cats biting her whenever she tries to pet them. I swallowed my pride and let her carry me around for awhile. I've never seen anyone so happy in all my life, as she was at that moment. I'm going to talk to the grey cat and see if we can't figure something out. At the very least I hope for a truce to the biting thing. –excerpt from A Cat's Eye View. A Drifters Diary.

s

Not surprisingly, Akito woke in a foul mood. Tuesday found her scowling out the sliding door at anything and everything in sight. This was normal though, and noone seemed to pay it much mind. Akito could hardly believe the nerve of that worthless cat. How dare he? First acting all innocent and then telling her, that it was she who was in the wrong. Akito stewed in anger a moment more, calling Kyou all manner of nasty things in her head. He had left without her permission, after spewing a bunch of nonsense about people's behavior.

"_A true monster is determined by their words and actions toward others. So, before you go around calling people names, you should take a long look in a mirror and judge yourself accordingly." _When Akito looked up from her thoughts she realized she had, somehow, wandered into the washroom. Stepping up to the mirror above the sink, she thought about what he had said. A foolish notion came to her and she leaned in closer.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Whose the fairest of them all."

And while the mirror only showed her, her own reflection, that gorgon of a girl, Tohru Honda, flashed across her minds eye. They had to wait until the next day the get the mirror replaced.

s

While Akito was taking vengeance on poor, defenseless mirrors, Kyou was trying to act like he'd only been missing a week, instead of five centuries. It wasn't as easy as it had sounded in his head. Teachers and classmates alike kept asking him questions that got more and more stupid as the day wore on. No he was not in the hospital. No he had not been abducted by the yakuza, secret government organizations, or aliens. (Well, not in this universe anyway, but he wasn't about to tell them that.) No, demons hadn't dragged him into the netherworld(again in this universe), and mountain men had not tried to rape him, EVER!!

He told them it was a family emergency and that he didn't want to talk about it, but that nothing bad had happened. He was doing fairly good at keeping the lowest profile he could in class, until algebra. The teacher was a sadistic little woman, who liked to mess with her students hopes. Since, Kyou already had a weeks worth of make-up work to do, she figured she'd give him a chance to lighten the load. As the class watched she began to scribble a long, complex equation that covered most of the chalkboard. When she was finished, she turned to Kyou and smiled evilly.

"I know you're going to be busy trying to catch up on all the work you missed last week, Sohma. If you solve for y in this problem by the end of class today, I won't make you do any of my assignments you missed."

Kyou looked at her, then at the board.

"Y equals six." The room descended into silence.

Judging by the teachers expression, he got it right. The same expression, also told him he shouldn't have. He hadn't even meant to, really. It just, kinda slipped out. He slouched down in his seat, crushed by the combined stares of the entire class.

"Sohma, teachers office, after school."

"Yes, sensei."

s

The class had just let out and Kyou was preparing for lunch, when shadows overtook the desk.

"So, how did you do it?" He looked up into the face of one Arisa Uotani, as she stood hovering over him, hands on her hips.

"Do what?" Kyou decided to try playing dumb.

"That." she pointed at the equation still on the board. The teacher had given them review work to do instead of anything new. Apparently, she needed the hour to recover from the shock earlier.

"Lucky guess?" he shrugged his shoulders and tried for an innocent expression.

"Yeah right, 'lucky guess' my ass."

Uotani was not alone in her need to interrogate him. Tohru, Hanajima, two boys whose names escaped him, and a girl who sat behind him were all standing around his desk. The boys were supposedly his friends, when it suited them to be so. The girl looked like the hope of a new world rested on his every word. Was that a notepad and a pen, posed to take dictation, in her hands?

"No, your waves suggest that you were confident in your answer. You knew what you were saying was the correct response." The group all nodded their collective heads, as if they understood anything Hanajima was saying. One of the boys chimed in with a 'what she said'.

"Um...I read a book on it once?"

As Kyou was being subjected to the Spanish Inquisition, Yuki was furiously scribbling in a notebook. His textbook was open, a calculator at his elbow. He would occasionally look up at the board, mutter, erase something, and then double check what he had written. He had been at it the whole class period. Suddenly, he stopped and stared in disbelief. Y really did equal six.

s

The rest of the day went by as days do. Lunch had Kyou hounded by curious classmates. Haru was unable to get though them all, so his desire for a fight went unsatisfied. Momiji was able to get a welcome back in, being small enough to fit around the others legs. The other teachers gave him worksheets to be handed in tomorrow.

The algebra teacher had him take a equivalency test after school let out. Tohru and Hanajima waited for him and Yuki had a council meeting. Uotani had to leave for work and Momiji thought it best if he took Haru home, just to avoid any entanglements that would end badly. So it was only those three, and the student council, that were there when Kyou found out why the name Kagura sent phantom pains though out his body whenever he heard it.

Yuki had just been saying goodbye to Kakeru, when a strange feeling settled unpleasantly in his stomach. The feeling was justified when Tohru called out to someone waiting at the front gate.

"Oh, look, it's Kagura-san." All movement of their group stopped. Kagura smiled brightly and advanced.

"Kyou you're back!", her face suddenly changed and she sped up like a raging bull. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving! A phone call to let me know you were doing okay would have been nice! I was worried about you!" She made to tackle him to the ground. Jaws dropped as Kyou stepped aside. Kagura righted herself at the last minute and stood there, stunned. Kyou had never dodged her before. He usually just let her pummel him until she felt better. This angered her and she began her assault once more.

The others watched as Kyou continued to, effortlessly it seemed, dodge every angry blow. Kagura kept coming, screaming at him until finally worn out, she stopped. Tears were in her eyes and her body trembled with emotion. Why wouldn't he let her beat him up?

"Why? Why are you avoiding me? Don't you know how much I care about you?"

Without waiting for his reply, she turned to flee. Kakeru was to busy listening to Yuki's explanation of what was going on, and Kagura wasn't paying any attention to where she was going. Yuki was about to shove the other boy away; more out of concern for the family secret, than any bodily damage a collision would cause. However; he needn't worry, Kagura's progress was halted before the moment of impact. An arm wrapped around her waist, jerking her back against Kyou's chest.

"You should watch were you are going, before you run off like that. You could hit something and hurt yourself. It's nice to know you were worried, but all you have to do is say so. And Kagura, thank you for caring about me. "

A blush dusted her cheeks, and her body relaxed.

"Really, you mean it?"

"Yes. Now, let's go home. We can talk there, okay."

"Okay." Kagura seemed to become aware of their audience suddenly. "Oh, hello Tohru-chan. You don't mind if I stay for dinner tonight do you? I'll help cook."

Tohru laughed nervously, remembering prior attempts of Kagura's to be domestic. The last time it hadn't gone so well. Mostly, stuff had been destroyed, like doors, clothes,... the kitchen. But, she did like Kagura and it was always nice to have her company.

"Yes, it'd be nice to have you join us."

s

Shigure had seen Kagura with them and disappeared into his room. A dark muttering, about him not informing her of her favorite cousins return, had been enough of an explanation for the others. Eventually, he came out hands raised in supplication, and with a plea to not destroy his house. She glowered at him, but was quickly distracted by Kyou, and he kept her that way until dinner was done. He found he liked listening to her reminisce about their childhoods.

There was a slight hint of sadness in the otherwise, dreamy look on her face, as she remembered the past. He, of course, had an alternate reason for listening. He was learning about himself. This was what he was hoping for, someone who knew him well, from before. Someone to tell him what he was like without having to ask. It avoided suspicion this way. With each new memory she recounted, the more he wanted to meet these people. They sounded interesting. He had already had a run in with Ayame, Yuki's older brother. Kyou had found the man to be very strange. Momiji had briefly said 'hi' earlier, and Hatsuharu must have been the kid with the white and black hair he'd seen during lunch.

Haru hadn't looked to happy about his return.

"That's probably because you finally beat Yuki. You know how protective Haru is of him."

No, he didn't, but he'd take Kagura's word for it. And what was with everyone about the Yuki thing. First, Tohru and Shigure, then that Momiji kid, and now Kagura. Everyone made it sound like it was a great feat to beat him. Like the odds of it happening were one in a million. Sure he had some skill but... He didn't get a change to voice his thoughts on the matter, Tohru was calling them in to eat.

s

"I don't know Master. Maybe you should go ask that Kazuma guy she told you about."

Tokino sat on the counter swinging her legs, as Kyou finished rearranging the shelves just the way he wanted. She had already cleaned the floors and dusted away any cobwebs, and now was bored with work.

"I think I'll go tomorrow. Just to see him. I'm supposed to be going to the dojo three times a week anyway. I get the impression that he is sort of a father figure, from what Kagura said. I'll have to be careful not to screw up."

"Do you think you can trust him with the truth? If he did raise you, he'd know you best."

"Yes, but I don't know how he will react to such a thing. He probably wouldn't believe me. Few in the past have. So, have you decided which school you want to go to?"

"Yep, there is this all girls school, with really cute uniforms. I want to go there, but I'll have to use a different name because one of the students is a Sohma."

"If that's what you want. Hand me that box over there."

"Are you going to tell them about the store?"

"No, I don't think I will. They'd just ask questions that I don't want to answer. Did you let Cannoli out of hibernation yet?"

"He upstairs getting used to the place. I think he's adjusting pretty fast. He's only crashed into something four times."

"Don't let him out of the apartment. A cabbit might cause an uproar in this world."

"How about a cat girl?"

"Tokino!"

* * *

Omake

And now for more chibi torture...I mean action.

Ah, a new location, and renewed dedications. Hey, that rhymes. Anyway, let's cut to the s.d.'s entrance.

"OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!"

The ground trembles violently beneath them, ash covers the sky. Shearing-hot lava erupts skyward, then plummets downward, charring their frail, flaying forms. Oops. Note to self: Mount Vesuvius also not a good place for this.

Japanese Word of the Day

Gakkou - school

Danshi seito - school boy

Joshi seito - school girl


	6. Magic Eye, Sugar Rush

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Authors Notes: Wee! This was a fun one to write. It's only purpose: to be fun and cute. There is a lot that I want to do with this story, but I foresee not being able to get everything in here. I know quite a bit as already been discarded for the sake of moving the plot along. I don't like having to do that, but this story is already going to be longer then I originally intended. Maybe if it's popular enough, I'll write little side stories covering some of what got left out.

Chapter title from Must Be Dreaming (again) by Frou Frou.

* * *

Excel is insanely, stupid. That is all.

Okay, so my opinion hasn't changed any from the last entry. Though, I find it satisfying being Ilpalazzo's first lieutenant because he let's me pull the cord sometimes. I used to wonder if dropping her down the pit was a little harsh, but now I understand the therapeutic value. There's more insanity here then there ever was in Nerima. All the same, I think it's time to leave. Working for Across doesn't have any real benefits, in fact it doesn't even pay. The last straw was the puchu floating in last nights stew. Those things really don't taste good. –excerpt from Broken Bridges. A Drifters Diary.

s

"...and that's all of it. So what should I call you?

Kazuma looked at the young man seated before him. Although, if the tale Kyou had just told him was to be believed, he wasn't young at all. He certainly didn't look older then sixteen. He couldn't imagine why Kyou would make up a story like that just to cover up were he had been. Well, not to lie to him anyway. He decided to believe him, he wanted to meet this Tokino, anyway.

"You used to call me Shishou, and that is what everyone is used to you to calling me. It is all right if you feel uncomfortable doing so now. I would like it very much if I could meet your Tokino. She sounds like a charming child."

"You believe me?"

"I have no reason not to." His reward for his faith was a bright smile. The one that always warmed his heart to see. It had become a rare treasure lately. A noise on the roof could faintly be heard by trained ears. A face appeared, hanging upside down over the edge, and looked in though the shoji doors.

"Can I come in now, then?"

"Yes. You must be Tokino. By all means come in."

She did a flip off the roof, then entered, remembering at the last minute to remove her shoes. She looked like the tomboy type, in overalls and wearing a baseball cap. Tokino took the cap off, then gave a polite bow.

"Pleased to meet you Master's Master." Charming, just like he thought.

"Tokino, this is Kazuma Sohma." Kyou began the proper introductions. "Shishou, this is Tokino." The title fell from his lips with ease, as natural as breathing. Kyou found he liked the taste of it on his tongue. It was comfort and encouragement, guiding hands and warm embraces. It was home.

s

A month later and Kyou still could barely believe he was home. Akito hadn't bothered to call him back, and Haru seemed to have gotten over whatever it was that had bothered him. Yuki still walked on tiptoes around him, but Kyou wasn't going to let it upset him. Tokino was enjoying school and the teachers at his, had been convinced the algebra incident was a fluke. Summer vacation was coming up, so he'd be able to devote more time to the store.

Speaking of which, he paused in the middle of the campus and fished around in his school bag. He needed to test that last batch of spring water. They'd made it up last night but the powder had been an odd color, and they weren't sure of it's effectiveness. Kyou had shoved it in his bag, with the promise to test it the next day, and had forgotten about it. The bottle it was in, miraculously, survived the day. Now, he needed to catch something to test it on, and find a private place to do it in.

Fate, however; had other plans. In one of the class rooms on the third floor the Prince Yuki fan club was having their meeting. Things had degenerated into a fight over who should succeed the graduating club president. When asked later, no one would be able to say how it happened, just that the window had been open to let in the summer breeze. In any event, Rika Aida somehow managed to find herself falling out of said window. The third year student had been trying to brake up the small cat fight, and the next minute her face exploded with pain and she was falling.

She was aware of Motoko calling her name and the screams of students below. The horrified faces of Minami and Mio. Her life was flashing before her eyes as she prepared for the bone shattering impact with the ground. And she waited. And waited. Then she came to the realization that she must already be dead. It was so fast she hadn't even felt it!

Funny, death kinda felt like someone holding her. She opened her eyes to quiet exclamations below, and the brush of tree leaves on her face. Someone had rescued her and they were now resting in a tree. The persons frame was small and the tanned hand steading her was narrow and long fingered. That, and the impressive c-cup (she was instantly envious) told her a girl had rescued her. So, then why was that a boys uniform.

"You are one lucky girl, to pick today to dive out the window. Any other day and I might not have been able to do anything." She wasn't sure what to make of that, or the girl for that matter.

"Thank you. I owe you my life."

"I wouldn't go that far. It was either save you, or get splattered in brain matter when you hit."

"Still, you did save me. I at least owe you something."

Rika studied the girl closely now. A boys' uniform, no tie, and a boys' haircut, bleached orange. There was something familiar about her. Oh no, it couldn't be, the shame of it. To be rescued by a member of the small, but growing _Prince Kyou fan club_. A fanatical one, at that.

"Dammit, I cut myself on that stupid bottle. I wonder what that stuff will do once in the bloodstream. It's only instant, but...I hope it doesn't become permanent. If it does it'll be a pain to correct."

"What?" the girl wasn't even paying her any attention. Just staring at a cut on her hand.

"I broke the bottle of instant cursed spring water from yesterday. I'm going to the nurses office, you might want to come with. You look a little pale."

The girl scooped her up and jumped from the tree. She seemed oblivious to the looks she was getting. Just as the doors closed behind them Rika could have sworn she heard someone ask: "Is it just me or did the Sohma kid shrink just now?"

s

Rika sat on the bed and watched the nurse pull a shard of glass from the girls left hand and then bandage the wound. The over large uniform sleeve had been rolled halfway up her arm.

'She even went so far as to make a copy of that ugly bracelet he wears.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by the coffee maker going off. The hot water the girl had asked for was done. The nurse smiled kindly at her and went to pour it in a cup.

"Do you want anything in it? I have instant tea and coffee."

"No, just the water is fine. I have to test something, I'm not going to drink it."

Test something? The nurse must have been just as confused, because she asked about it.

"You'll see, if it works right."

Rika and the nurse watched as the girl upended the glass over her head. Rika's head swam slightly as the girl turned into a boy right in front them. The glass of cold water she...he'd(?) ,gotten upon arrival soon met the same fate as the hot. Kyou seemed pleased when nothing happened. He spoke, to himself seemingly, like he was taking notes.

"Introductory into the blood stream had no effect on the reaction. That's good."

Rika had had enough. She wanted answers.

"What the hell just happened!? You were a girl a moment ago, weren't you?"

The nurse only nodded in agreement, to stunned to speak. Kyou realized he had an audience, and turned toward them in acknowledgment. He didn't answer their question, though, just handed them a folded card. The nurse took in apprehensively. Together they read, Rika read out loud.

"Mischief and Mayhem. Instant cursed spring water of drowned girl. Good for one use only. To reverse effect just use hot water. Cursed spring water comes in boy, girl, and a variety of wildlife sure to please and astound. This bottle is for promotional use only."

"They were handing them out yesterday for free. I forgot I had it until I was leaving the school. I must have broke it when you discovered you couldn't fly." It was a reasonable sounding lie.

Rika supposed she should be suspicious, but her mind was still on the magic she'd just witnessed.

"What kind of animals do they have?" She was curious now.

"What makes you think I would know? Go there yourself and find out. I'm going home."

s

Word quickly spread, there was a shop that sold real magic. For obvious reasons, spring of drowned girl water was banned from the school grounds. It didn't stop it's popularity, and only a handful was available for the week, lest they run out for good. So it was, that on the first week of summer vacation, Tohru found herself standing in front of the store. She was trying to work up the courage to go in and see if they had what she wanted. A cure for the curse wasn't going to be found in it's walls, but a better understanding of what it was like to live with one, she hoped, was.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped in. It was well lit, and the tables and shelves clear of anything that might catch on patrons clothing. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. A few other people milled about here and there, perusing the wares, looking for whatever caught their fancy. The shopkeeper was talking to one of them, demonstrating how to use something. Tohru tried not to stare at the weird headband she wore. It made it look like her ears were large plastic protrusions. Luckily for Tohru, what she wanted was clearly marked just above it's shelve.

Instant Cursed Spring Water.

'Please have the one I want.' she silently prayed.

There it was, they did have it. Her hand wrapped around the, now plastic, bottle. The price wasn't to bad either. Now all she had to do was pay for it and get out before anyone noticed her. She turned out of the isle and ran right into Hana and Uo.

"Um...I was just..." she trailed off with a nervous laugh.

"You were curious right. It's not a big deal. That's why we're here."

"I find enjoyment in frequenting the shop, as well. The waves in this place are most unique."

"Yeah, what Hana said. So what are you getting?" Uo pointed to the bottle in Tohru's hands.

Tohru sighed in defeat and showed them her find. Her friends shared a look that clearly said 'that figures'.

"I should have known. Hey, you know what, it might be fun. I think I'll try one too. How about you, Hana? I'm sure there's something you would like to take a crack at being."

"Yes, perhaps there is. I think I'll see if there is crow or raven available."

As it turned out, there wasn't. The closest they had was duck, so Hana had to fall back on her second choice. They all sat in Hana's room, staring at the little bottles set in front of them. Each waiting for the other to go first.

"No time like the present." Uo uncorked hers and dumped the contents on her head. The change was interesting to watch. The lines of her face became harder and her shoulders broader. There was a ripping noise as a seam of her blouse gave way and Uo swore.

"Dammit, I liked this shirt."

"Don't worry. I can fix it for you later." secretly, Tohru thought Uo made a handsome boy.

Tohru grasped her own at the same time as Hana finished her transformation. As the small black piglet gave a test oink, Tohru felt her clothes cave in on her. She fought with the fabric to find a way out, then hands gently plucked her up. She could only mew in thanks to Uo for saving her from her own dress. Tohru studied her surroundings, then her own fur covered paws. Things looked different when one was a cat.

She took some time to get acquainted with her new body, and learn how to work her tail. She went though a wide variety of noises, from purring to hissing, then felt she was ready to try getting off the table. She wasn't. The leap caused her to tumble head over tail and ended with her bumping into the wall. Kyou made being a cat look easy. How did he do it?

'It must be more natural when you are born with the ability to change species' she thought as Hana helped nudge her upright. Uo was chuckling at her and not trying to hide it.

"That was the cutest thing I've ever seen you do."

Neither Tohru, nor Hana had the vocal capacity to respond.

After Tohru figured out the basics of moving about on all fours, they headed out for a bit. It was the strange looks they got from people on the street that reminded them that two of their number would have to return to Hana's to change back. They had left their clothes on the bedroom floor. Of course, the looks weren't because of their nudity, but rather, a pig and a cat were following a boy around without leashes and seemed to know when not to cross the street. The girls hadn't really thought of that, well Hana had, but there was no way for her to convey the message.

They headed back a hour before Uo had to go to work. Megumi had glasses of hot water waiting for them and had neatly folded their clothes. Tohru felt enriched by the experience. She had heard things she hadn't before, the rustling of insects in the grass, the whistle of the wind though the trees. With cats eyes shadows weren't so dark and colors both brighter and clearer. Scents she couldn't identify had tickled her nose and whiskers. Her scope of the world around her had widened and she was almost sorry when it was over.

At the same time, Tohru decided not to tell Kyou or the others about this just yet.

s

Yuki picked at his meal, then looked over at Shigure.

"You've noticed it to?"

"Yep, all Kyou-kuns favorites tonight."

Tohru just smiled and finished her meal.

* * *

Omake

And now for a big oops.

Entire tube is squashed, out comes...a red goo? Whoops...they were still in there, weren't they. My bad.

Japanese Word of the Day

Maho - magic

Keikaku - plan

J-Notes

The Prince Kyou Fan Club- in the manga, at some point or another, the three main character's class has to make decorations for the graduating class. During this time Yuki's fan club steals all the ones he made and a big fuss is made over it. As they are deciding how to handle the theft, it's discovered that all of the decorations the Kyou made are also gone. As he asks what happened to them, the manga goes on to show a group of girls that are not in Yuki's club with a bunch of the decorations. Thus it is implied that Kyou has his own fan club that is just as crazy as Yuki's, only more sneaky about it.


	7. Vacation, Had to Get Away

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: Aah, summer vacation. I remember summer vacation back in school, when you got three whole months of it. Now I look forward to one week away from the daily grind. Oh well, at least I get payed for it now. Anyway, the plot is about to be hinted at, but not in this chapter. Once I introduce it things aren't going to be so light-hearted, so enjoy it while you can.

Title is from Vacation originally by the Go-go's

* * *

I don't like water. Tokino doesn't like water either. So why is it, that we are now on a world covered in it. By covered, I mean completely covered. The only thing resembling land in this forsaken world are the tops of buildings, peeking just above the surface. We have seen strange things in the water. They are large and I don't care for them much. I suppose, on the bright side, there's always plenty of fish to eat. –excerpt from Turning Tides. A Drifters Diary.

s

Tohru was enjoying summer vacation. The experience from two days ago had left her in a strange, euphoric state of mind. She couldn't wait to do it again. As she dressed for the day, she considered which animal to try next. She knew they had pig, and she had seen horse and dog on the shelves as well. Her mind was still a million miles away when she started down the stairs. Until she heard the tapping sound in the living room.

Kyou was up and appeared to be using a...laptop? Tohru had no idea he could use one, let alone owned one. Weren't they really expensive? But there he was, typing. She was about to ask him about it, when she noticed something else. Something that sent her into a panic.

"Oh no, I completely forgot! Today is a summer service day. I need to change, and now I don't have time to make breakfast."

Kyou watched her flounder for a minute or two, before calmly approaching her. A tap on the head drew her out of her hysteria.

"It's fine, I'll make breakfast. You get ready."

"Thank you so much, Kyou-kun, but it's not your job. You don't have to."

"I don't mind. Really. Just go."

By the time Tohru had changed into her uniform and gathered what ever it was she needed, the scent of cooking batter was making it's way though the house. It was good enough to rouse Yuki from his dreams, and soon he remembered what day it was as well. He dressed in a haze of sleep, then made his way to the table, eyes open just enough to avoid running into things. A beeping noise drew his attention to the laptop left running. He was about to reach for it, when a plate of pancakes was set in front of him. The aroma woke him completely, and he joined the land of the aware.

Tohru and Kyou sat down and together they ate breakfast and headed out to school. It was at the gate, that Tohru thanked Kyou for the pancakes. Yuki was so stunned by the revelation that he almost missed the bell.

s

The summer service day was over and the group were making their way into the house, when their attention was drawn to a figure. A small woman, with short hair was sobbingly writing something. Her frame was crouched in defeat, and she was speaking out loud what she was writing.

"Oh no, not again. I might just kill him and put him out of her misery." Yuki said.

Again? Kyou was about to ask just how often this woman tried to commit suicide on their porch, but thought better of it. He lived here, it obviously shouldn't come as a surprise.

"Mitsuru-san, please calm down. We'll let you in. I'm sure Shigure-san has finished his manuscript. I'll make you some tea, and everything will be alright." Tohru, the ever optimistic. With no more worries about editors performing seppeku on the front lawn, Kyou went to his room. He had work to do in the lab. His laptop lay forgotten, until Mitsuru mistook it for belonging to Shigure.

Figuring, foolishly, he was using it to write out his next story, she opened up the first text document. Mitsuru was hooked almost instantly. This was not like anything he had ever written. She had clearly opened a chapter somewhere in the middle, but that didn't matter. Two hours later and she was still reading. This was epic, a traveler lost in different realities, trying to find his way home, his only true companion a cat girl. Okay, the last part she could see being Shigure's. At the same time, nothing pervy was happening to the girl. How unusual. The story was written in dairy form, and the way the traveler refered to her was more parental then anything else.

She liked that he never mentioned his name. The closest he got to a description was a note that his hair was getting long. It made it more mysterious, leaving it up to the readers imagination. A quick count of the files pertaining to the dairy made her whistle in appreciation. There were at least 10 volumes worth of material. Why had he held out on her for so long?

Someone came into the room and disturbed her thoughts. Tohru was standing there with a plate of sandwiches.

"I thought you might be hungry. Dinner won't be for awhile, but your welcome to stay. Oh, that's Kyou-kun's laptop. He was working on it this morning. I'll go let him know he left it." She put down the platter and left. Mitsuru blinked at the wall for a minute, confounded. So that's why Shigure hadn't shown it to her. He wasn't the one writing it. As her dreams shattered around her, she thought to herself, that she should have known. It had been just to good to be true.

Wait, wasn't Kyou the kid with the orange hair, who lived here. If he didn't have a publisher yet, maybe she could hook him. She would get a raise for sure if she brought this to her boss. Tohru would know where to find him. Hopefully he was more understanding then Shigure. Her eyes drifted to the letters on the screen. Then again, she could wait here and read some more. He was bound to show up looking for the computer. Two more hours, one platter of sandwiches, and a whole lot of tea later, the boy she was waiting for entered the room.

When Shigure sauntered into his house, he saw a most unusual scene. His editor was bowing and thanking his cousin, repeatedly, without pausing in-between. She was going to hurt herself at that rate. What he really wanted to know was, what had Kyou done to deserve such a display. Misturu stopped her adoration and started out. She paused at the door to speak with him.

"I have to leave, but I'll be back tomorrow, so you better have your manuscript done. You hear me?" and then she was gone. Her step was lite, and she squealed in joy as she went. Most peculiar, indeed. Kyou was going upstairs, the laptop Shigure had seen this morning in his hands.

"Ah, Kyou-kun, you know Yuki will get mad at you if he sees you with his things." Shigure was nice to warn him. Kyou looked at him as if he'd sprouted another head.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I don't have any of them." Shigure raised an eyebrow and pointed to the laptop.

"What makes you think it's his. This is mine." Really, the way people acted toward the two of them. Like, Yuki was god's gift to mankind and he was the village idiot. He gave the other man a contemptuous snort and returned to his room. At the top of the stairs he looked back.

"You missed dinner, by the way, so I hope you ate while you were gone. Otherwise, there might be leftovers in the fridge."

s

Tokino pouted up at her master. It wasn't fair, she wanted to go to the summer house next week too.

"You could have gone if they knew about you, but you're the one who refused to go back with me." She gave a huff in such a way that her cheeks puffed out comically. Kyou sighed in exasperation.

"All right, fine. You can camp out in the woods or something. Or I could introduce you to everyone. Let them know who you are." Tokino looked down at the bowl of food from dinner. Tohru sure was a good cook.

"No, I'll camp in the woods."

"Why do you even want to come? It's at the ocean, you hate large bodies of water."

"So do you, and you're still going."

The root of the problem. He was going, so Tokino wanted to go.

"By the way, Shigure's editor wants to publish my journal as a fiction novel. I used your name in it, do you want it changed if it goes to print?"

Tokino thought about it, weighed to pros to the cons of it, and figured it didn't really matter.

"They can leave it. But Master, why did you agree to it? Wouldn't it draw attention to us? I thought you didn't want anyone knowing."

"I doubt anyone would think anything of it. Fiction is make believe and it probably won't get a lot of readers, it's rare for books to become that popular. Besides, it's unlikely for anyone we know to read it."

Later, Kyou would be grateful he hadn't made any bets on his sales prediction.

s

By the time they arrived at the summer house he'd already put the book out of his mind. The house was almost on the beach and the air filled it with the scent of the ocean. He didn't mind it just so long as noone expected him to go in the water. He could swim, quite well in fact, he just didn't like it. That dirty, wet feeling, the things unknown swimming about beneath the waves.

Fish crapped in there, why would one want to play in that? Apparently, he wasn't the only one that didn't relish the idea. Yuki parked himself under a sun umbrella and opened a book. He looked completely unconcerned with the group in the water. Yes, group, about five others had come with. He half expected the rest of the family to turn up.

From what he understood, Tokino had befriended the girl, Kisa. He tried to remember which she was again. Right, tiger. For someone being possessed by a top predator, she sure was timid. He could sense her fear when he was near her. Whatever, it wasn't any business of his, she wasn't his concern. Her being here just meant that Tokino had to be more careful. Like that was going to happen.

They had played in the water, then took a nap, and now they were in town for a late lunch. Momiji had suggested a diner that was attached to an ice cream parlor. They were looking at the selection of flavors, when a familiar shout came from behind. Kisa was nearly bowled over as Tokino pounced. Well, not really. All Tokino did was grab her in a forceful hug from behind, but Hiro saw it the other way. Kisa's wide smile was the only think that kept him at bay, for the moment.

"I didn't know you would be here Kisa-chan! Now I'm really glad I came."

"Tokino! What are you doing here?...uh...Tokino? Is something wrong?" Kisa watched as Tokino's face distorted suddenly. The girl looked around, and sniffed at the air. Slowly, she moved toward the others. As she got closer to Hiro and Haru, she jumped away and grabbed her nose, offended.

"Eww. You smell like a barnyard." Tokino pointed at them.

Hiro's face turned red as anger welled up inside of him. How dare this impudent brat say that?! Who did she think she was? Who did she think she was talking to? Haru simply shrugged. It wasn't worth making a scene over. Tokino made a face and tilted her head slightly, then as if suddenly realizing her inappropriate words, she stepped back. She beat Hiro to speaking.

"I mean, not that there's anything wrong that?" She gave an dismissive wave of her hand, and at the same time moved upwind of them.

Momiji was the only one who had noticed Kyou's frantic hand gestures at the new girl. Everyone else was busy staring at Tokino, otherwise you couldn't have missed the throat slashing motion made before the not-a-apology. Momiji was also the only one who saw him hide his exasperated expression in his hand. Now, what had that been about? Despite his innocent behavior and the air of naivete, Momiji wasn't stupid. It was obvious they knew each other. He would keep his observation to himself for now, until he knew for sure. For the time being, he'd sit back and watch.

"So what brings you here, Tokino? Are you on vacation with your family?"

Tokino looked up from licking melting ice cream off her hand and answered Tohru's question.

"Sorta, I'm training with Master."

"Oh, how nice. You talk about him all the time. I'd like to meet him." Kisa gave her friend a hopeful smile. Tokino gave a nervous laugh.

"Well, we'll see. I really shouldn't be here right now, you know. Training and all."

"You won't get in trouble, will you?"

Tokino's eyes drifted over to her Masters face. The words 'We'll talk about this later', may as well have been painted on his forehead in neon lettering. She looked away.

"Not too much."

"So you are studying the martial arts. Which school?" Haru asked. He wouldn't mind a spar with someone different. He might learn something new.

"A little of this, a little of that. We try to keep ourselves flexible."

"Really, what have you studied so far?" Now Yuki was interested.

"Tai Chi, Tai Kwon Do, Jeet Kun Do, Qi Gong, Anything Goes..."

"Anything Goes?" They hadn't heard of that one before.

"Saotome School. They generally keep it in the family, but Master and myself got to learn it. We also got to learn some Chinese amazon stuff. Like Katchu Tenchu Amaguri Ken"

"Chestnuts..." Yuki.

"Roasting?" Haru.

Tokino didn't explain further. She was already talking to Kisa about the summer homework assignment, and had completely forgot the other conversation. The two girls laughed, and Hiro glowered. Kisa was ignoring him in favor of the new girl. Unable to take his frustration out on Tokino (she had blown his previous attempt off), he turned his temper on the next available subject.

"Why did you have to invite her to join us? You stupid girl. Don't you know how dangerous it is for us to have her here?"

Before Tohru could try to defend herself, Hiro received a blow to the head, courtesy of one Yuki. Only Yuki. Haru turned to Kyou, questioning.

"Don't you have anything to add to that?"

"Why bother. I think Yuki summed it up pretty good all on his own." Time stopped, the stars knew not their places, and fire leapt above heaven itself.

"What?" Kyou looked at the frozen statues that were his family.

"If you weren't feeling well, you should have said something. We could have gone for ice cream tomorrow, or brought you back some." Momiji reached over and felt Kyou's forehead for a fever.

"What are you talking about? I'm feeling just fine." Their overreaction might upset Tokino and she'd do or say something she shouldn't.

"You've been acting strange the last couple of months. Ever since you came back after that week." Haru noted.

"Yes, you never did say were you went." Yuki gave him a suspicious look.

"You're not the real Kyou. You're an alien pod person."

"That's not true is it Kyou-kun?" Tohru leaned in close, eyes pleading.

"Momiji, you shouldn't say things like that around Honda-san. You know how serious she takes them."

"Honestly..." Hiro chose to mumble the rest to himself. His head still hurt from the first punch.

"I don't get it. What was the big deal?" Tokino of course, wouldn't have understood, she hadn't known how Kyou acted before she met him. She hadn't seen the way the boys treated each other or Tohru. Kisa leaned over and whispered in her ear. Tokino nodded her head in understanding, then gave Yuki a look over.

"Eh. I don't see a point to that, but whatever."

Yuki wasn't sure how, but he got the feeling he had just been insulted.

s

They didn't see Tokino again that week. The next day she wasn't to be found. Momiji forgot, for the time being, about what he had seen at the ice cream parlor. Hiro got a call from his mother, and Tohru made a special diner just for him in congratulations on the eminent arrival of a brother or sister. The next day, however; wasn't so good humored.

They had gone to the beach again. Yuki had taken up his spot under the umbrella and Kyou was content watching the others play. Momiji was busy dunking Hiro under the waves, while Tohru and Kisa splashed each other. No one noticed the shadow in the water. They hadn't realized how far out they had drifted either, inner tubes had been keeping them above the water. Until Kisa was suddenly pulled under. Tohru's surprised scream was the last thing she heard.

Kisa had felt something wrap around her ankle, and panicked as the thought of sharks entered her mind. She flayed about helplessly, twisting and turning, trying to hold her breath. Then, she saw him. It was a person pulling her down. She opened her mouth to scream and water flooded her lungs. The man let go and vanished into the ocean, leaving her to drown in it's depths.

Tohru's shouts had gotten everyone's attention, but Kyou was the only one who could make out what she was babbling about. He had seen Kisa go under. Momiji and Hiro dived under and looked around but Kisa had been out far and they were unable to find her. Tohru wouldn't leave the water, nor would she leave the rocky outcropping connected to the beach. Yuki had removed his shirt and shoes and was about to dive in himself, when Kyou jumped in. He didn't come back up.

Momiji looked over to Yuki.

"Can Kyou swim."

"Not that I'm aware of."

Beneath the waves and silence he found her. She was slowly sinking to the bottom near the continental shelf. He wasn't the strongest of swimmers, but the magical pocket of air surrounding his face insured he would last the longest in the water. Kisa was not so lucky to have a arsenal of spells at her disposal. He needed to get her out of the water, now.

No longer needed, the air bubble popped when he surfaced near the rocks. He dragged her to the beach, and by the time the others made it to them he was already pumping the water from her lungs. She began coughing it up and he turned her to the side as she vomited fish toilet water, and then her breakfast.

The first thing Kisa knew she was alive and someone was rubbing her back as she emptied her lungs and stomach. Then, she saw her rescuers face and for the first time all fear of the cat that had been instilled in her vanished. She didn't care that he was supposed to be a scary monster, or that he didn't belong. All she knew was that he had saved her life. The shouted questions of the others were background noise, inconsequential. Kisa clung to her savior like a lifeline and refused to let go as she cried away her terror.

"I think we should still take her to the emergency room. Just to be safe." She felt Kyou's chest rumble slightly as he spoke in answer to everyone's inquiry. It was comforting for some reason. She relaxed against him. He did it again and she noticed this time he wasn't talking. Kisa had never heard a cat purr before. She kinda liked it.

Kisa refused to let go of his hand until the doctor came in. After she was released form the hospital it was decided that they should all go home. Shigure and Haru had been informed of the situation over the phone. They would have everything packed and ready to go. Kisa slept the entire way back. Hiro to one side of her and her new Oniisan on the other.

s

On a large, hunk of earth, floating outside of time and in between space, they gathered. They wore cloaks to shroud their faces and the only light in the hall was on one man. He bowed low and gave his report.

"It was the wrong one."

"His magical signature was all over the place. How is it that you couldn't find him?"

"The child had the same sense to her. The old magic surrounded her as well."

"His companion?"

"No. This one was new. I have never seen her before. She did not know us."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"How is it that another has come about with the same essence."

"This is ,perhaps, the drifters home world. There were many others possessing the old magic."

"If what you say is true, then he will not leave so easily. Now that he has found what he was searching for. This will make it easier for us."

"Collect him. But do not damage him too much. We still need him to _give_ us the relic."

"This time, if he will not hand it over, we will simply remove the arm attached to it."

"What of the child and the demon?"

"The child is of no concern. A bargaining chip if need be, otherwise, useless. As for the demon, we have ways of containing it in it's host. One prison of flesh and bone is just as good as another."

"Yes, my lords."

* * *

Omake

And now for the big ending

The end of the tube is carefully compressed this time. The rainbow doesn't come out, instead a sign reading, 'we quit' takes it's place. O, come on, pretty please. One more time. Small, terrified, covered in bandages, and still smoldering they step forward. Their arms are crossed and they shake their little heads defiantly. Please with cherries on top. Chibi Tohru skittishly begins to step forward. Abruptly Chibi Kyou and Chibi Yuki move in front of her, blocking the path. But I asked nicely. They hold up a sign that reads: You shall not pass, then grabbing both her arms, drag her back. I guess I'll just have to do something different for the extras.

Japanese Word of the Day

Taiyou - ocean

Natsu yasumi - summer vacation

J-Notes

Summer service day- In Japan, summer vacation is only one month and even then you still have to go to school once or twice. It's only for a few hours and is suppose to be for catching up on the summer home work and making plans for the cultural festival, and other stuff of the like. Summer also falls in the middle of the school year instead of the end. One would imagine this helps cut back on what students forget from their classes.

"The stars knew not their places" - this is actually taken from the Norse book that foretells the end of the world, Ragnarok. It is a description of what will take place when the old gods fall. Interestingly enough the Edda's also foretell of the coming of a single god to take their places and bring forth a new world. Anyone interested in learning more really should do so. It's quite fascinating.


	8. Out Comes the Evil

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: We never really do find out how Kisa got along at school after she went back. I figure everything probably returned to how it was before, with Kisa trying to fit in, but the others not giving her a chance. Being on the recieving end of peer persecution, I know that her being gone certainly didn't make the other students see her any differently. But then again FB had a lot of that 'happy ending without any _plausible_ reason' bullshit.

Chapter title is from Out Comes the Evil by Lords of Acid.

* * *

The Children of Paradise. Such an unassuming name for such a vicious group. I still don't know how they find us and they are learning from each battle. Though we escaped, the wounds we received were too much for the gate to fully heal. For now we are safe, but Tokino will walk with a limp for awhile. Even as I write this I can feel the healing magic she administered trying to knit split flesh. I can only hope this world can provide longer lasting shelter then the last. –excerpt from Darkening Horizons. A Drifters Diary.

s

Kisa flipped though the magazine, her eyes carefully scanning the pages. When she reached the last page, she tossed it aside onto a pile of other discarded magazines. None of them had what she was looking for. Of course, it would help if she knew what she wanted to begin with. She had thought if she looked in enough flyers she'd see something that he would like, but so far, no luck.

Maybe if she knew him a little better this would be easier. Kyou had always been a bit intimidating, so Kisa had always kept her distance. Now, she was regretting it because she didn't know what to get him as a Thank You gift. She couldn't just ask, not anyone here anyway. Noone at the main house cared enough about him to bother with his likes and dislikes.

She wanted it to be a surprise, so that meant she couldn't ask Tohru. Even if the older girl didn't say anything to Kyou, Shigure would find out and tease her.

"Hey Kisa, you look troubled. What's the matter?" Kisa scrambled back into a wall as Tokino's voice suddenly sounded from nowhere.

"Are you okay? I heard what happened. It must have been scary." Tokino pushed the shoji screen back and crawled all the way into Kisa's room. Kisa felt her heart rate slow back to normal.

"Tokino what are you doing here? I told you outsiders aren't allowed here, not even other Sohma's. How did you even get in?"

Tokino waved the inquiry off.

"I've broken into places with tighter security then the Pentagon. What makes you think a wall with a gaping hole in it could keep me out? So, how are you doing? I came back as soon as I heard what happened. Drowning isn't much fun." Tokino noticed the pile on the floor. "What are you doing?"

Kisa turned her face away, embarrassed. Maybe Tokino could help her pick something out.

"I was thinking I would get Kyou something nice to thank him for saving me. But, I don't know what he would like. I know he likes martial arts, but, that's it."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate what ever you get, so don't worry about it so much"

"But , I want it to be special."

Tokino was silent for a while. When Kisa looked up at her, she was staring at the wall above Kisa's head.

"You are family, correct. You all went to the beach together. Aren't you close?"

"Not really. I was afraid of him."

"Why? He didn't seem scary to me."

"Because he's always angry and everyone says that he's..." she mumbled, finishing her sentence to herself.

Tokino watched her fidget.

"Everyone once said the world was flat. Then, Mr. Columbus came along and suddenly the earth was a whole lot rounder. You should judge people based of your own opinion, after you've gotten to know them. Not off of what other people say."

Kisa looked at the floor again. Tokino was right and now, she felt ashamed. Tokino sighed, she had snuck in to see that her friend was doing well, and all she was doing was lecturing her.

"Look, let's get out of here. There's something I want you to know, but you have to keep it secret. After that, if you still want to be friends, we'll go shopping for a gift. I think I have an idea for you."

s

She had missed them at the summer house because of the accident, but that just meant she didn't have to go as far to see the girl for herself. In her condition it was for the best. Isuzu walked carefully though the trees, trying not the trip over upturned roots. Her body was still weak and a fall would hurt more then it was worth to be here.

Still, she wanted to know what was so special about this Tohru girl. She couldn't be as innocent as all the talk made her out to be. Then again, she had seen _it_, touched it even and not run away. Maybe there was something wrong with her too. Noone was that much of a saint.

Speaking of it, she crouched down low to avoid being seen. What on earth was the cat doing all the way out here, in the middle of the woods, alone. So what if she was prowling the forest herself, she knew why she was here. Isuzu moved forward a ways to get a better view. Kyou seemed to be going though some sort of kata that she had never seen before. His movements were graceful and sure, as if it was created just for him. There was no way she could know just how on the mark she was.

She watched mesmerized by his form when a she got the impression she wasn't the only one spying. Alarms in her head were going off , but Isuzu couldn't find the danger. Kyou had felt it to and stopped. He stood perfectly still and stared into the trees on the other side.

"I know your there. Why don't you come out, so we can get this over with?"

Silence. Then the forest erupted.

s

Tohru stopped in the middle of the aisle. She had a bad feeling all of a sudden, like something horrible was about to happen. She put down the package of beef and chose chicken instead. Later a young man would be hospitalized for food poisoning after eating contaminated beef, but that wasn't her concern at the time. The feeling lessened but didn't go away completely.

s

Yuki looked up from his book. He got a chill up his spine, as if bad things were coming. He looked around him, but the he was the only one in this section of the library. He returned to his reading.

s

"What's the matter, Tokino-chan?" Tokino shook her head, dismissing the feeling in her stomach as nerves. She took a deep breath, then opened the door. Kisa stepped into what looked like a back store room with an office to one side. Tokino continued on though a door and up a flight of stairs.

"That was the shop. I live in the apartment above it." She said by way of explanation.

"I've never been here before. Why didn't you tell me you lived above the magic store? Does your family own it?"

"Me and Master own it." she opened the door wide and bowed Kisa inside. "Welcome to my humble home."

Kisa looked around, then entered fully. A couch and entertainment center, a small kitchen and table. There were a few pictures of people that looked anything but Japanese and wearing weird clothing. Some of which was down right mediaeval. Was that guy...blue? On closer examination he also had small stones covering him. Kisa decided not to ask. They were probably just at a convention of some sort.

"This is my room, but that's not why we're here. I can't do this in public or anywhere someone else might see." Kisa was interested again. What could her friend be hiding that was so important. Before she could ask a crashing noise in the other room was heard.

"Eep, Cannoli! I forgot him in the lab!" Tokino raced to the other door and threw it open. Kisa hot on her heels, ran into her when she came up short.

"Oops, wrong room." she slammed the door shut. But not before Kisa got an eyeful of what looked like part of Shigure's house. She recognized the trees outside the balcony window. Tokino hadn't been able to block her view of the Spartan decor. Just a futon and a book shelf and a desk. Her friend seemed to consider her for a second.

"I guess I was going to show you anyway. Just don't freak out, okay." she turned the knob in the other direction and opened the door again. This time there was no bedroom on the other side. The lights had come on automatically, illuminating a large structured room. Tubes ran along the walls, trees spouted up from the floor, glass jars sat on work tables waiting to be used. Gadgets and gizmos lay about and a large tank like thing housed ominous aquatic things.

Kisa didn't know what to say. The place was amazing.

"How? It's huge. This can't be real. There's no way this could all be in the apartment. The main house couldn't fit all of this."

"That's because it's not really in the apartment. We're actually in a separate, self-contained dimension. Master created it after graduating the science academy. The door is also connected to Master's room at the other house."

Another crash just around the corner and a small animal, the likes of which Kisa had never imagined, tumbled into sight. It looked like a cross between a rabbit; big ears, tail and hind legs; and a cat, face, body, and front legs.

"It's so cute. What is it?"

"That's Cannoli. He's a cabbit. An albino cabbit is rare, but Cannoli was born blind and disabled, so they were going to put him down. Master said I could keep him if I wanted. Kisa, I haven't been traveling in other countries. We've been traveling though other planes of existence and I'm not completely human."

Kisa stared at her long and hard. "You look human to me." Then again, who was she to judge on looking human vs. being human.

Tokino fiddled with something behind her back. She was wearing a skirt today, which was unusual outside of school. A long piece of fabric pulled loose and her tail came free. Kisa watched stunned as it swayed back and forth. Tokino was pulling loose the ribbons holding her hair in pigtails. Her hair fell around her face and two triangle shaped ears popped up on her head. Now that Kisa was taking it all in she was noticing other things. Namely the way Tokino's pupils contracted into slits instead of pinpoints in the light.

"I'm a cat-girl. Do you still want to be friends?" Tokino was nervous. They didn't normally tell anyone unless they had to, and then they had known those people for many years. Only once had anyone found out within the first two years. One didn't just tell their friends 'I'm from another dimension. One of us is part cat and the other turns into one if a girl hugs him.' It just didn't go well.

"A cat-girl? For real? Are you cursed too? Oh no I mean..." Kisa covered her mouth in horror. She hadn't meant to let that last bit out.

"It's okay. I kinda already know." she smiled to show no hard feeling. Kisa lowered her hand.

"How did you find out that...that I..." she couldn't say it. She had been taught not to.

"I could smell it, the large predator. When he woke, so long ago, he told us all about it. You have the tiger. I'll tell you another secret that isn't so much of one, but it seems your family likes to conveniently forget. A tiger is just a really large cat. So, are you afraid of me?"

Kisa shook her head. No, she wasn't afraid.

s

Kyou watched the water run down the drain. First pink, then scarlet, the blood slid off him as though with it he could wash away all his sins. He hated killing. Somehow, he managed to finish washing his hair and body clean, before leaning forward to slide down the wall. He wept, for those dead, for those alive, for himself. He had honestly thought he could forget. Leave it all behind him. It was going so well. The girl who smelled like open plains and grassy fields was just on the other side of the washroom door. He remembered now, she help him into the house.

_He turned away as the last of the men fell at his feet. A girl with long black hair was standing there, watching him. She was family, he could tell by the feel of magic around her. She seemed to be in shock. Why wouldn't she be? She'd seen the whole thing. He grabbed at his sore side and stumbled forward. He needed to explain._

"_I'm sorry. I got comfortable and I forgot. I let my guard down and they found me. I didn't want to. I'm sorry." He was crying, he knew, when he fell into her arms. _

Kyou had figured she would leave him. She hadn't looked to happy to see him. Instead, Rin had slung his arm over her shoulder and helped him walk back to the house. She didn't ask questions and she didn't look him in the eye. The door opened and he felt, more then saw, her surprise. She was staring at his back.

"You should knock before entering when someone is washing."

"What happened to your back?"

He became conscious of the scars crisscrossing his body. The small illusion he used to cover them had faded from his exhaustion. Now every unnatural, manmade mark was visible to whoever walked in. He didn't like others to see them. They were the product of long ago tortures and desperate wars that he wanted to put far behind him.

Rin reached out her hand to ghost over two that ran vertical from each shoulder blade. Each about four inches long. He jerked away almost violently.

"Don't touch me!"

Rin backed out the door, not sure why she even cared. They hated each other, after all. He wasn't worth her time. Still, she got out the first aid kit and made ready some gauze and antiseptic. The wound on his side wasn't bad enough to go the hospital, but it would leave another scar. Her own throbbed slightly as she recalled what she had seen.

When had he gotten so many and who had made them? She hadn't heard anything about it before. Why would she have? No one really cared what happened to the cat.

A lot of them had looked really old and faded. A hand on her shoulder caused her to whip around. Kyou had put on a loose robe and was standing behind her. Rin didn't like it when someone snuck up on her. She hadn't even sensed his presence.

"Thank you, for helping me."

"I didn't do it for you. They may not show it, but some of them would be mad if I had left you to die. Now, sit down so I can bandage your wound." Kyou thought it would have been nice if she hadn't sounded so pissed off. His mind was clearing after the shower and he could remember her name now. Isuzu Sohma, Rin for short. Shishou had said they had despised each other on first sight.

She finished dressing the slash in his flesh in silence, then got up to leave.

"The one I came to see isn't here. I have no reason to stay, so I'm going."

"Don't you want to know who they were or how I was able to dispose of the bodies?"

"No." and just like that she was gone. Kyou laid forward on the table and shut his eyes. What an interesting girl. He didn't care for her much.

* * *

Omake

Doujinshi Horrors

A crowd of students, all male, had gathered at hall window on the second floor. Curious about the cause of the congestion, Yuki, Kyou, and Tohru had wandered over.

"What's going on?"

The boy nearest to them pointed outside. Below them a gathering of sorts was underway. Almost the entirety of the female body was down there. It seemed as if they had divided into two groups, like armies ready to advance upon each other.

"Near as we can tell, that group over there is the Prince Yuki fan club...and that one over there is the Prince Kyou fan club. They're about to do battle to determine which of you is better."

"I have a fan club. When did that happen?" Kyou moved closer to the window. "Hey, what's that group over there? Is that suppose to be some sort of concession stand?"

The boy took a closer look.

"No. Those are the girls who couldn't decide on just one of you. They have their own separate club where they make yaoi doujinshi about you two. They're selling them to the two clubs."

When the only response to this was silence, the boys all look at the two in question. It was as if they had turned to stone, expressions horrified. Finally, macabre curiosity got the better of Yuki.

"Which one of us is...you know..."

"On the receiving end? My sister bought one a while back. She says they draw for both, depending on your taste."

The stone statues that were Yuki and Kyou crumbled to dust and blew away. Outside, the battle had begun. Blood splattered, hair and fabric flew, and the girls at the booth counted their profits.

"This was a great idea. We're making a killing." girl one smiled slyly.

"Yes, we should have incited this little skirmish sooner." girl two continued to flip though the bills in her hand.

"What if _they_ find out about this?"

"Oh, they're big boys, they'll get over it."

Japanese Word of the Day

Hon - book

Sentou - battle

Original Character Bios

Jarvis

Jarvis was brought into the fold by Lycaon, one of Devas generals and later one of the council, due to his technological genius. He work for Lycaon developing weapons the other could use to take over the world they inhabited. Jarvis cared little about the impact his inventions had on human lifes, just so long as he got to run free in the lab. When Lycaons actions caused a small scale war to brake out, he saw it as a competitive front. Which side could make the most destructive and powerful weapons them or him. When Lycaon was victorious he accredited most of it to Jarvis and sent him to Deva as a gift. Deva decided to test Jarvis' abilities before fully excepting him and so pitted one of Jarvis' combat systems against a random person of his choosing from a random dimension. That person happened to be Sanji, who won in the end. Despite Deva's exceptance of his talents in the end Jarvis has held Sanji in a certain amount of contempt.


	9. Demi Gods and Hungry Ghosts

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: It was painful writing Ritsu. His character is just so absurd that I was hoping to avoid having to put him in here as much as possible, but noone else would have work for this scene. If you hadn't noticed I also avoided Ayame and Hiro. I'll try to fit them in here somewhere, but I make no promises. They are tough to for me to understand and most of the time I wanted someone to beat them with a really big stick. Sorry to any Ayame and Hiro lovers.

Title comes from Touched by Vast

* * *

Master is really sick. So, I thought I would write something until he gets better. I don't know what to say. I should have paid better attention. I'm supposed to take care of him, like he takes care of me. It's my fault, I should have been there. If he dies, I don't know what I'll do. So I'll just have to take good care of him now, so he gets better fast. I don't want to lose him. I can't lose him. – excerpt from Sheltered Harbors. A Drifters Dairy.

s

The sun was shining, birds were chirping, children were playing in the park, and Ritsu was going shopping. But first he decided the stop at Shigures, just to say hi. School would start up again next Monday and he wouldn't get another opportunity in awhile. Of course, he brought gifts, small individual cakes for each occupant. When one is as unworthy as himself it was a good idea to bring a peace offering of high quality.

He was beginning to doubt whether the sweets where enough to make up for his presence when Tohru let him in. She smiled and led him to the table with an offer of breakfast. He refused, he wasn't worth such kindness. Tohru brought him something anyway. Shigure teased him and Yuki for the most part ignored him. Strange, something seemed to be missing. A noise from the stairs drew his attention...then all hell broke loose.

When Kyou had woke up it had been like someone had smashed him in the head with a cement brick or two hundred. The room was spinning in ways it wasn't supposed to and the most awful sounds were coming from downstairs. He had a fever, that he was sure of, and he could sleep it off if only that noise would just stop. He'd just have to go down there and make it stop, then he'd figure out where he was and find a safe place to sleep.

As he stood up the room swirled and little lights danced in front of him. The door had tried to bite him and the hall moved up and down when he tried to walk. That horrible sound was just down that flight of spiral stairs. Navigating those was harder then he thought it should have been. When reached what he assumed was the bottom of the steps he saw the source of the racket.

Monsters. Demons. Large ones with glowing eyes and warped bodies dripping blood. Zombies where in the house, Legion was back. One of them moved closer and called his name and another began to thrash about, wailing loudly. Suddenly it changed into a long, serpentine, creature and moved toward him. The room was shifting beneath his feet and he stumbled backward. There was nowhere to go, no way to escape. It was all too much, the sickness, the terror, he needed to get away.

s

Kyou hadn't looked so good when he came downstairs. He was stumbling and tripping, his skin was clammy looking, his hair was sweat soaked, and his eyes were dull. What was more worrisome was the dark red stain on his nightshirt. Blood was seeping though the thin fabric. Tohru moved toward him, her hand reaching out.

"Kyou-kun, you're bleeding!"

Kyou turned his head and terror washed over his face. He began to back away, but hit the stairs and fell over. Ritsu was going into hysterics, and Kyou began to scream and the room was filled with smoke. Something small, and orange shot passed them. They followed the blood drops into the next room and behind a bookcase. Kyou hissed and swiped at them, when they tried to reach him. The look in his eyes was feral, like he didn't know any of them. Like he didn't know he was human.

"What do we do?" Tohru jittered around behind them, as Shigure narrowly avoided another scratch.

"This is all my fault! My very existence should be ended now!"

"Ritsu, please be quiet. I've notified Hatori and Shihan. They are on their way. Kazuma-shihan said to leave him be until he gets here." Yuki had come back into the room holding a first aid kit, while attempting to bandage the claw marks on his own hands. Despite the sticky backing on the band-aides they were falling off. Tohru grabbed his hand and removed them.

"Here, let me do that. If you put the antibiotic on the pad instead of your hand it won't get all over the place and the bandage won't come off. See."

Shigure screamed and leapt away from the bookcase.

"He bit me." He examined the wound. "I'm going to get rabies and die!!"

This of course sent Ritsu into even more hysterics until Shigure had to poke him in the side. He passed out and Tohru took care of the new abrasions.

s

Hatori arrived first. He took one look behind the bookcase, the narrowed, glowing eyes, the burbling growl, and hunched form, and decided to wait. Tohru found an old gauze wrap with drying blood on it, mixed in with Kyou's clothing when she went to collect them.

"So the wound wasn't caused by his reaction when he came down stairs. I'll ask him about it when he calms down." Hatori didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. Chances were that the transformation and panic attack had made any damages worse, and there had been a substantial amount of blood on Kyou's shirt. It might require hospitalization, and if it did they'd have to wait until he turned back in order to admit him. Hospitals weren't keen on animals and it'd be more trouble then it was worth to go to a vet.

He doubted that finding a naked boy in the cage that was supposed to have an injured cat in it, would go over very well. Luckily, Kazuma showed up a few minutes later.He knelt down low and took a peek for himself, then settled back to the wall, eyes closed.

"Let's see if this still works, shall we. You may want to cover your ears. I won't be offended if you do." And then he began to hum. It was low in the beginning, then got slightly louder. Soon, words could be made out, sung quiet and gently. The lullaby was soothing and the angry noises Kyou was making stopped. A cautious paw stepped out, followed by the rest of him. He crawled into Kazuma lap and began to purr.

The older didn't seem to mind the blood his fingers encountered, as he ran them over the small form. After a while he motioned Hatori over.

"He is too warm." There was worry on Kazuma's features.

"A fever then, probably hallucinations. I think I have something to help bring down his temperature."

They got him in his room just in time for the reversion back to human. Hatori gave him something to keep him asleep while he examined the wound and dressed him. Tohru took Ritsu with her to the pharmacy and grocery store. It was something to do that would keep them busy and out of the way.

When Hatori exited the room he spoke with Kazuma, then the man went in to check on Kyou and Hatori turned to Yuki.

"I would like to speak with you for a moment."

With those two busy, Shigure went to see how the other two were doing. He was a little worried after all, cat or not, Kyou was family. When he went into the room, it was to see Kazuma packing a small bag of Kyou's clothes. The other spoke without looking up.

"Hatori believes it best to take him in to the hospital. He says Kyou will need stitches and probably an iv. His temperature is too high and the cut is infected. That's what caused the fever and delusions."

"You knew exactly what to do to bring him back. This has happened before."

"Something like it, once." Kazuma obviously wasn't going to elaborate, so Shigure dropped the subject. Yelling from the kitchen distracted them for a moment, then it calmed down. A moment later Hatori and an angry Yuki came in to help them move Kyou to the car. When the car pulled away Shigure turned to Yuki.

"What did Hatori have to say?"

"Nothing." A glare was sent Shigure's way, and then Yuki stomped into the house, slamming the door as he went.

Well, something had him upset. Shigure pondered on it for a time, before giving up and going back inside himself. When he tried to open the door , however, he found it unyielding. It took a second for him to realize what had happened. The shock left his brain and he began to bang on the door while whining.

"Yuki-kun, come unlock the door. Please let me in, it's my house. Your so mean, Yuki-kun."

s

In his room, completely ignoring the sounds from outside, Yuki fumed. Hatori had no reason to even think he'd do such a thing. Sure he and Kyou hadn't gotten along...ever, but he'd never seriously hurt him. It had been Kyou who had started it in the first place and Kyou who had nearly killed him. So why was it that he was yelled at for something he didn't even do. Hatori had apologized for the accusation, but it still pissed him off.

He grabbed a book off his desk, opened it, closed it, then threw it on the floor. He laid back on his bed and considered the cracks in the ceiling. When they proved to be poor conversationalist, he picked up the book again. It was a little freebie, preview booklet, really. He'd gotten it yesterday while looking for something new. It had small parts of new books that were supposed to come out in the next month, it was something new that the publishing houses were trying, to get people interested beforehand and hopefully increase sales.

He scanned the titles for anything interesting, then opened to a random page. The name Tokino caught his attention. It was familiar and it took a minute to place were he had heard it before, Kisa's new friend from school. It was the same name as that strange girl who had insulted Hiro and Hatsuharu at the beach. It had his attention now, and he flipped to the beginning of the preview. Well, the summary seemed slightly interesting, in a science fiction kind of way.

It wasn't long before he had finished the preview. He'd have to get that one when it made it to the shelves. The rest of the books weren't as engaging, but it kept him busy until Tohru came home and let Shigure in. Stupid mutt, never thought to go around though the sitting room screens.

s

Tokino had decided to go with Kisa to drop off her gift. Master hadn't been over sense yesterday morning. This was the perfect opportunity to see him without anybody getting suspicious. Kisa needed the moral support anyway, the poor kid was just too timid. When they got to the house, Tokino's sense instantly picked up on something being off.

Tohru let them in and Kisa shyly asked where Kyou was. Tohru's face changed to one of worry as she told them what had happen. The carefully wrapped present fell to the floor as did Tokino's shattered world. She had failed her Master.

s

The light in the room was out and the curtains closed, leaving only dull illumination. This was fine, his eyes were at their best at twilight. The scent of disinfectant was strong and an annoying beeping was coming from his left. That wasn't what woke him. A cool, whisper of a touch on his brow brushed his hair slightly. To an outsiders view it looked as if a wind had moved the sweat soaked strands.

His body felt heavy and the I.V. fluids sent a chill up his arm, the rest of him was either on fire or numb from the pain killers in the fluids. None of this mattered though, he still smiled in appreciation. She was singing, and petting him, he was happy. It had been so long since he had seen her. He interrupted her rather rousing, if slightly off key, version of 'Everybody Wants to Be a Cat.'

"I thought I'd never see you again. Aren't you mad at me?"

"Why should I be?"

"You're dead, aren't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much.", she smiled in a cocky way, as if it was a good thing. He never could understand her way of thinking.

"Am I dying again? It's the only time my guard is down enough to see your kind."

"No, you're just really sick."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jari. It never was."

"I'm still lost."

"That's alright. I know you'll find your way." The door opened and a nurse came in to check on him. When he looked back she was already gone.

"I missed you. See you again, okay?" Kyou closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The nurse assumed he was talking to his dreams. Maybe she was right.

s

Tohru wanted to scream, but she was too scared. That was the biggest creature she had ever seen. It raised it's head from where it rest on the pillow and looked right at her. It gave her a dull stare, whimpered quietly, then laid it's head back down, nuzzling Kyou's face as it did so. Tohru calmed down as she noticed him shift slightly in his sleep.

Kyou turned on his good side and wrapped his arm around it, burying his head in its fur. She changed her mind. It wasn't just the largest creature she had seen, it was the largest _cat_ she had ever seen. She didn't know they came in that size. At least, not the domestic kind anyway. Lions, and panthers, and tigers were technically cats. Hey, that meant there was a cat in the zodiac, so then what did that do to the story. Obviously, something wasn't right with it and she was babbling in her own head.

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat and entered the room.

"Hello there. Are you keeping him company? I just came visit too...please don't eat me!", She bowed low. It yawned wide, showing off many sharp teeth, then adjusted itself into a more comfortable position. Tohru took this to be a good sign, besides Kyou wouldn't let it eat her, if he woke up that is. He would just tell it she was a friend and everything would be okay. She drew a chair over to the opposite side of the bed and sat down.

She began to pull out the few items she had brought with her. A flower in a vase was placed on the night stand, and a box of rice balls was retrieved from the bottom of the bag. She knew she wasn't supposed to bring food in, but Kyou liked them. They were even her special kitty-shaped ones. She'd have to wait until he woke up to give them to him. The cat was watching her. Its huge eyes seemed intelligent, human even. Its tail twitched, and it eyed the box.

"Would you like to try one? Just don't take my hand with it, please.", She handed one over. The cat gently lifted it out of her hand, then swallowed the whole thing. It licked its jaws clean, then looked back at her, almost begging. She gave it one more.

"If I give you any more then there won't be any left for Kyou-kun."

To Tohru's surprise the cat bowed its head and didn't beg for more. She fell asleep a little while later and when she woke up Kyou was awake and the cat was gone.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. Did you have a good dream?"

s

"No, Yuki had nothing to do with it. It was an accident, I didn't think it was that bad."

Kyou was speaking the truth, sort of, just not all of it. He didn't think Hatori would believe him if he told him the whole story. Kyou considered telling him just to see how he would react.

'I got cut by mechanical battle dolls, created by a high ranking, religious cult member, who was charged with bringing me back to his leaders, because they believe I'm the key to open the gate to paradise.' No, Kyou was certain that it wouldn't fly with the good doctor. Then again, Hatori might think it was just the painkillers talking.

"Look, someone else was there at the time. Ask Isuzu, she'll tell you Yuki wasn't even there."

"I'm surprised. I wouldn't think you would be so serious in Yuki's defense."

"If you're innocent then you're innocent. No sense in letting people think otherwise, and I'm not one to let someone take the blame for something they had no control or impact over."

"I suppose not. I'll let you get some rest. You should be able to go home tomorrow, but you'll have to take antibiotics for a while, and I'll need to check on the stitches in a couple of days."

"Will I be able to go back to school?"

"I don't see why not. Just be careful. You'll have a pass out of gym so you won't pull anything. When I say take it easy I mean it. Do you understand? No strenuous anything."

"I know. No operating machinery or heavy lifting, and I'll be sure to just go to a police box if a horde of battle androids attacks, instead of handling it myself."

Hatori gave him a look.

"Just making sure I've covered all the bases."

"You do that. I'll be going now, oh yes, Tohru said something about a strange-looking cat the size of a adolescent lion on your bed...", Kyou gave a nervous laugh, "don't let the staff see it. I'd rather not have to erase the memories of the whole hospital."

"I'm sure she was exaggerating."

"Of course."

Kyou breathed a sigh of relief when Hatori left. He crossed his arms and gave a little twitch. His eyes scanned the room before settling on the foot of the bed. There was only one person he knew, besides himself, who turned into a large strange-looking cat.

"Tokino."

She wiggled out from under the bed and looked bashfully at him from behind her bangs.

"I'm sorry Master. I was just so worried and I thought I could protect you better in that form if they came back, and..."

"Tokino."

"Yes Master?"

"Thank you."

"For what. I wasn't there when you needed me most. I failed you. I don't deserve your praise."

"For worrying. Just try not to transform in places like this. It upsets people."

"Not Tohru. She didn't care."

"Tohru isn't like other people.", He smiled gently.

"You're one to talk, but no, she's not." Tokino beamed brightly.

s

He was discharged the next day, just as Hatori said. Kisa was waiting at the house with a brightly wrapped box. She was shaking a bit when she approached him with it. When he thanked her for it she almost burst with joy. He hung the teruteru bouzu in his balcony window and was just about to take a nap, when a commotion outside snapped him out of his haze. He looked out the window and was treated to a most interesting scene.

Wherever Kisa went her little Hiro was sure to follow, and Tokino had shown up with her as well. She had, after all, helped Kisa with the gift and wanted to be there when it was opened. That was the excuse at any rate. Right now, however, Tokino was chasing after Hiro, with a tree branch, screaming.

"Come back here, so I can flog you!"

Flogging? Kyou felt his eye twitch. He was supposed to be taking it easy, well, so much for that plan.

Hiro had, once again, opened his big mouth, but this time he was going to suffer for it. The others might have put up with his snotty comments, but not Tokino. She was an inch away from clobbering him when a hand caught the branch in mid-strike.

"No beating the bratty child, please. That's his parents job, if they choose to do so, not yours." Hiro stared at Kyou. Where had he come from? He'd gone to his room, hadn't he?

"He was rude and wouldn't apologize." Kyou looked down at Hiro, then back to Tokino.

"Let's talk over here for a second." He led her away. Hiro and the others watched. Kyou leaned down and whispered, in a conspiratorial manner. The girl nodded a few times, then they split apart. She walked calmly over to him and smiled.

"I think you need some quiet time to reflect on your behavior.", then her hand shot out faster then Hiro could dodge. She had slapped a talisman paper on his mouth, the word silence was written on it. Hiro tried to yell at her, but no sound came out of his mouth. He tried to remove it next, but it remained attached.

"I'm the only one who can take that off, so you'd better be nice." she smirked at him then walked back to the house.

After the first two hours the appeal of watching Hiro try to remove the piece of paper had gotten boring. After three Tohru served lunch and Hiro had settled for glaring at everyone and everything. Four hours and Momiji showed up and had a amusing time of ignoring the other boys plight. Five hours and Kisa's mother came to fetch her. Six and Hiro finally looked pleadingly at the girl as she was about to leave herself. She walked him to the gate of the main house before she removed it.

s

That night most of the house went to bed early, even Momiji who had decided to stay. Tohru was still up looking at the stars when a figure emerged from the woods. It wasn't until the person reached the light of the porch before she recognized them.

"Akito-san! What are you doing out here so late?"

"I don't need your permission to be on my property whenever I want."

"Of course not! I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering at your sudden visit. Would like to come in. Everyone is asleep, but I could make you some tea."

"I heard the cat had an unfortunate accident. What a shame."

"Oh, yes. The doctors said he'd be fine..."

"You can't fool me. I know what your up to. It won't work."

"Um...excuse me...what?"

"They all belong to me. Even that monster."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

Akito smirked. He'd have fun with this. Shattering whatever illusion this gorgon had of taking what was rightfully his would definitely make him feel better.

* * *

Omake

Gotta Catch 'Em All

Tohru hummed happily to herself as she hung out the laundry. In the living room the t.v. was broadcasting the news...no, the sports channel...no, the news...sports. The reason behind the televisions indecision was the two boys fighting for viewing rights.

"I was watching that!"

"I need to see the weather report. You can catch the score on the radio."

"That's not the point. I like to watch the game, not just the score."

"How idiotic."

"Say that again rat boy, I dare ya!"

During this exchange, the remote was being wrestled back and forth. Buttons were being randomly pushed, the stations on the screen were passing by to fast for the system to keep up. The fight had dwindled down to a tug of war for the remote. The poor thing just couldn't take it anymore and in no time it ripped apart.

The remote braking discharged a electric shock that blew out the tv, and sent both boys flying in opposite directions. This drew out Shigure, who mourned for his entertainment system more then his cousins, and Tohru, who didn't know what to do for her friends and so opted to panic. She was about to call Hatori, or maybe the hospital, or perhaps the National Defense Force, when both teens groaned and began to right themselves. Kyou was the first to speak.

"Mew!" his eyes widened and he clamped his hands over his mouth.

"Pikachu!" was Yuki's response. He then mimicked Kyou's reaction.

"Come on Pikachu." came from the static on the tv. Apparently the Pokemon movie was playing. All eyes turned to the set, then to each other. Yuki gave a test speech.

"Pika pi." Well, that wasn't what he meant to say.

"Mew mew mew...MEW!" was Kyou's opinion on the matter. Well, Yuki wasn't going to let him get away with such language.

"Pika pika pi. Pikachu." Oh, it was on now. No way was Kyou going to let Yuki talk to him that way.

"Mew mew meww." Now, Yuki was pissed. A small crackle of lightening erupted around him. Without really knowing what he was doing, he sent the shock in Kyou's general direction. Kyou ducked and threw his arms up in defense. A pink bubble of light surrounded him. The lightening bolt bounced off the bubble and impacted with a wall. Plaster flew everywhere. Kyou looked up at the stunned group and smiled.

"Mew." he retorted. The bubble began to rise. Not to be outdone Yuki sent another bolt. Again it rebounded off in a random direction. This time nearly taking out Shigure, who was beginning to protest the damage to his house. It all fell apart from there.

Two hours later, Tohru sighed as a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. Dinner would be done soon and she simply loved the new view. A bird landed on the refrigerator before being startled away by the explosion. A large pink bubble drifted by and out into the forest though the space a wall had once occupied. Tohru wondered where the lamp was going.

"Pikachu!" another explosion.

"My poor house." Shigure groaned as he floated by on a rather impressively sized bubble.

"Wow, Kyou's getting good at those. That's the biggest yet. Has he caught Yuki yet?"

"Mew! Mew mew!"

"Pika pika pi pika pikachu!"

"Nope, not yet. Yuki still hasn't managed to pop one of these either. I don't care who wins, just so long as it stops."

There was a great rumble, the startled shouts of "Mew!" and "Pikachu!", then the remainder of the house collapsed. Shigure was to shocked to weep. Yuki and Kyou floated by in relative safety, also too stunned to speak. Tohru looked at them.

"So, who won?"

Japanese Word of the Day

Gisaku - fiction (Shousestu-novel fiction)

Shinjitsu - fact (jistu-truth)

Obake - ghost

J-Notes

Cakes- It is custom in Japan that when visiting someone's house you bring a gift, usually a small cake. These cakes normally cost 1-3, and are bought in slices. However, if the person you are visiting is close family or friends(as was the case here), I don't think you're expected to bring anything but yourself.

Police Box- a small building, maybe one room and a toilet, that acts as a mini police station. There is one on almost every other street in Japan. Mostly they handle missing persons and occasional muggings. I don't think there is more then one or two officer in at any given time.

National Defense Force- Japan doesn't have an actual military. It would go against the treaty from WWII(I least I think its WWII) for them to form one, instead they have the defense force for handling national disputes, such as the nerve gas in the subway several years back.

Teruteru Bouzu- a small doll that kinda looks like a ghost. You hang them in a window and they are suppose to bring good weather. If its nice and sunny the next day then you attach a little bell to their necks, but if it rains the next day you cut off their heads. There's even a childrens song about it.


	10. A Loaded God Complex

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: This chapter was quite fun to write. I got to do a scene I have been planning since the moment I conceived this story. In fact I wish I was better at drawing, because I would love to see it. I have this image of their faces that is just priceless.

Title comes from Sugar, We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy, but you should know that, and I don't what to hear any complaints about the verse being gun instead of god. I have used the right lyrics, so get over it.

* * *

Trouble just seems to follow us wherever we go. It's probably why I keep ending up in the hospital. If it's not a megalomanic trying to take over the world, it's out of control battle androids. At least, Mahoro is easier on the ears then Kurumi. If only these worlds would put as much time into finding cures for medical problems, as they did into finding ways to kill each other, I wouldn't end up in these situations. Next time Tokino wants to help fight whatever is attacking at the moment, I'm going to lock her in the subspace warp until the urge passes.-- excerpt from Unexpected Detours. A Drifters Dairy.

s

"You failed! We gave you ten of our best men, and you still failed!"

"Yes, this is not tolerable. You had promised us results, yet the drifter eludes us still."

"The four Pillars were given this task, so far none have succeeded. Perhaps you are not worthy of the title bestowed upon you. We will take this matter up with Deva."

"Return to your task, Jarvis, the fourth pillar, guardian of the east tower, and pray that our lord Deva is forgiving."

Jarvis slammed his fist against the wall as soon as the door closed behind him. How dare those pompous old men try to hold power over him.

"Their best indeed. Weaklings all of them. The cybernetics worked perfectly, if their best couldn't handle it, it's not my concern."

Footsteps in the corridor drew his attention away from his rant. A woman appeared before him, a small girl following close at her heels.

"Now, now Jarvis don't let it bother you. Romm and the rest of the council are fools. Sheep pretending to be wolves have no real bite. The council is just there for appearances, we need not worry about what they say. We four answer to Deva and Deva alone."

She ran a lacquered fingernail down his chest in a manner that would have been seductive, if she wasn't so openly trying to be so. Instead, Jarvis looked down to the child at the woman's side. She had a split lip and the area around the corner of her mouth had turned purple.

"You shouldn't be so hard on your little toy. You might end up breaking her beyond repair. I won't fix her again, Frill. Not without payment at least." He gave her a lecherous look. Frill smiled cruelly and backed away.

"Come along Silk, we must be going now. We don't want to keep Deva waiting. Do we?"

The girl shook her head so violently it might have flown off if it wasn't so well attached. Jarvis scowled down at her and she fled off down the hall after her mistress. He watched them disappear around the corner, then headed to his own quarters. Deva indeed. The man was rarely seen anymore, not even by the council of eight. Not since that day. The other three took it lightly and the council couldn't care less so long as their own ambitions were met.

The chances of Frill actually being summoned by Deva were small, and Jarvis chalked it up to her trying to make herself sound important. He had better things to deal with. A talk with Legion was in order.

s

When Tokino had offered to heal the wound, he had declined. Hatori would be checking on him and was planning on removing the stitches in seven days or so. It would be suspicious to have the cut suddenly gone without a trace. So, Kyou had dutifully remained slashed and stitched, and took his pain killers and antibiotics without complaint. They made him tired and sluggish, causing him to sleep though anything. At first this had been a nice change from waking at every gust of wind, now, however,...he stared at the bandage covering Tohru's cheek and seethed.

Akito would pay for this, oh yes, she would. Perhaps a few hard lessons were in order. A demonstration of his capabilities, and he knew just the place for it. Tokino will be pleased, ever since she had heard, she worried about _it_. He was also under the impression that Tohru knew as well, now. She hadn't said anything and she wasn't acting different, but she kept giving him this strange look, when she thought noone was watching. She hadn't acted this way yesterday, and he could only assume the whore had told the poor girl just to upset her. Kyou certainly wouldn't put it past Akito to do something like that.

A talking to first, then massive property damage. He could get on the grounds easily enough, security for the main house sucked, the problem was, he didn't really know his way around the grounds. He had only been there once to his knowledge and that had been because of his disappearance. He knew how to find the room he had been in but that was all. Night was the best time for this, when everyone was asleep in bed and unaware. He would need to find Akito's bedroom, get in and get out without anyone else knowing of his presence. A layout of the place, the three-dimensional scanner would work. He'd have Tokino do surveillance tonight, and go in tomorrow night. It'd be over and done with before school on Monday.

s

Kureno had been working late and finally sleep was demanding his attention. The sky had long ago turned dark and the moon was almost full. He was about to leave the office when a noise caught his attention. A strange sound like the hum of a computer, but he had just turned his off. A cursory glance at the machine proved it's innocence. He listened closely, determining it was coming from the hall. He moved to the door, his hand was on the handle ready to fling open the door, when a green glowing lazer line drifted across the room. His eyes followed the light as it passed over the entirety of the room, including himself. The hum was moving away and he could just make out something moving outside the window.

Peering out into the night Kureno watched as small round objects floated about. The things were emiting the light and now seemed to have finished whatever their task had been. Was the family under some kind of attack? Had someone found out their secret? Aliens planning abductions? Okay so, maybe the last one was a bit far fetched. His eyes found a silhouette of a person sitting on the property wall, the light of the moon casting their features into shadows. Still, he could make out the form of a laptop balanced on their knees as they closed it. The small, floating orbs were moving toward the person and dissappearing just behind. Suddenly, they stood and for a moment the light of the moon reflected off their eyes causing them to glow bright yellow. Not just a small part of the eye, but the whole of them, and so brightly it was as if the person had lightbulbs for eyes. Peoples eyes didn't do that.

Kureno rubbed at his own and when he looked at the wall again the person was gone. He decided that he must be more tired then he thought and went to bed.

s

Tokino threw open the door to announce her triumphant return. The remote scanners zoomed around her before docking in their assigned spaces.

"Mission Accomplished, Master." she beamed at him, then continued into the lab. "But you haven't used this in awhile. I thought you had decided not to do the grand theft thing, and your own family? What happened to keeping a low profile? Not that I care really, but what are we stealing? Valuable jewels? Priceless works of art? Conspiracy evidence? The property wall?", she handed over a disk from the computer.

"Try Akito's sense of self-righteousness. I just want a private talk with her and then if she still doesn't understand a few things, a little surprise for the whole family." , he said, as he finished loading the disk into the main console. An electronic voice rang out from the speakers as Kyou started the program.

"Initializing three-dimensional graphics display." the area they stood in was suddenly filled with a grid display of the Sohma House.

"Adjusting to actual size." the grid expanded until they were standing in the middle of it.

"Commence layering." the grid became solid looking and they could tell they were in a hall.

"Adding color and texture." the smooth, grey of everything was filled in with brown woods and eggshell colored walls. The glossed floor showed off their reflections.

"Adjusting for sound." one could faintly hear the outside nightlife now, the rustling of trees, the chirping of insects, the creaking of floorboards, and the nocturnal sounds of the houses inhabitants.

"Well, shall we?" Kyou gave a mock bow and swept his arms to one side of the hall. Tokino curtseyed in response.

"Yes, let's."

s

Akito was sleeping rather peacefully tonight, and in fact, had done so the night before as well. And why shouldn't she be, she had put the gorgon in her place. True, she hadn't expected the rabbit to be there, or to interfere, but still... Tohru Honda shouldn't be a threat to her control any more, not after that. She shifted slightly as something niggled at her awareness. Something strong and angry seemed to fill the room and she woke with a start.

The room had gone pitch black. So much so that she couldn't even make out the outlines of the furniture decorating her bedroom. She had left the window open, the light from the moon should allow for some vision. She began to panic. Was her illness now taking her eyesight? Or had the darkness in her own heart finally escaped into the rest of the world?

"What's the matter? Are you scared?" a familiar voice. Akito became angry. The darkness retreated to normal night.

"You! You do not have permission to be here. Come out where I can see you!"

"You attacked Tohru. And Momiji. Now why did you do that?" Kyou stepped out of the shadows and moved toward the futon, his every move as silent as a grave.

"I was merely educating the ignorant."

"Really, it's not your place to do so. Why were you even out there so late at night."

"It's Sohma property, therefore mine. I can go wherever I want on it, when ever I want! And noone, especially you, has a right stop me! Now, get out!"

"You're awfullly full of yourself. It still doesn't give you the right to hurt people just because you feel like it."

"I'm god, I can do as I please!" she moved forward to strike him, to prove her point if nothing else, but instead he caught her wrist.

"You. Are. Not. God. You are nothing more than a host for a spirit with no body of it's own, that is unable to move on. Your only power is the fear you instilled in those younger then you and the mind games you play with those older. You're not as special as you seem to think you are. You're just a human like the rest of us. I was hoping not to resort to extreme measures, but you leave me little choice. Let me show you just how little power you have over us. Over me."

He let her go with just enough force to send her stumbling back, and when she looked up after regaining her balance, he was gone.

Tokino watched her master stomp away and she let the kekkan drop. She followed after him around to the back of the house, and along a path that led to a flight of concrete steps. Kyou didn't bother with them, choosing instead to simply leap to the top. The building at the top was in a sorry state. Looking old and dilapidated, save for the bars on the one window. Even the stone walkway was cracked. He gave the handle a jiggle. It didn't open.

"Now, on quick examination I'd have to say this building is not suitable for living conditions. I'm afraid I'm going to have to condemn it." He said with a straight face.

"Wow. There is a lot of negative energy being discharged. It's all flowing into the main house. Destroying the source should cause it to dispel. We'd be doing them all a favor." Tokino assessed.

"Bakusai Tenketsu should do the trick.. With luck this structure is all that is keeping the tortured souls trapped in it from moving on." he walked around it, studying the walls. Finally Kyou came to a stop at a spot that looked no different then the rest to the normal eye. He reached out and poked it, the barest tap with one finger. A small crack appeared were he had touched it, slowly it spead. A great webbed pattern began to rapidly grow along the wall. It trembled, minor at first, then violently as the cracks picked up speed.

Then with a great shudder the whole thing collapsed in on itself. Tokino looked up at Kyou in silence.

"That was kinda pathetic for a Bakusai Tenketsu."

"Give me a break it's been a while since I've used it. The actual breaking point was on the inside and it still did the job."

"If it was on the inside, why didn't you just go inside to hit it?"

"The door was locked."

There is quiet contemplation as the two consider the pile of rubble that was once known as The Cat's House. The door is in there...somewhere.

"Your logic astounds the mind, Master."

"Oh shut up. It's been a long night. Let's get going, we have school tomorrow."

s

The ruckus had awoken the bulk of the Sohma family. Lights are turning on in windows and people are coming out of the their homes to see what has caused the commotion. Soon the news spread, and whispers of awe and fear grew. The entirety of the main house is now aware of the destruction. Kyou and Tokino are moving swiftly though the trees, heading to Shigure's house when Akito's scream is heard. They are moving to fast to be distinquished by the human eye. Tokino has gone back to the apartment and Kyou is safely in bed when the call comes from the estate. Whether, it's the wrath of heaven or hell apon them the cat's cage had been destroyed. A ripple is felt by the cursed, something has changed and for good or evil, an end is coming.

In a brightly lit room, a man sat. He was what one would call handsome, his light brown hair neatly combed, his clothing starched and pressed to perfection. The food lay before him, steaming and untouched. He would eat it eventually, there was no point in starving himself over his worries. He couldn't afford such weaknesses or illnesses that a lack of proper nutrition would bring. Not with the Drifter still in control of the gate.

They were close to gaining the relic and with it the key to opening paradise. The universe, all universes would bow to his reign. He would rule as god on high. A servant came and shut the drapes over the window, blocking off the view. That was fine with Deva, there was nothing out there to see. He finally picked up his fork and began his dinner. Zero space just wasn't a pleasant view to have during ones meal.

* * *

Omake

Cagey Intentions Pt.1

Akito allowed himself to smile. The day everyone(at least in his mind) had waited for was finally here. School was over and the cat was his now. He glanced behind him to get a good look at the boy. Kyou was trudging behind him, head lowered, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The monster was finally getting what he deserved. Akito took great pleasure in opening the door to the one room house and gestering Kyou in. The boy suddenly looked a bit defiant. Akito figured it best to stop any attempt at backing out now.

"Don't even think of running now. You promised to go willingly. I don't want to have to call someone to drag you in, but I will if I have too."

"I said I'd go and I'm going." and with head held high he stomped into the house. Akito all but slammed the door shut and practically squealed in glee at the sound of the lock sliding in to place. He would have skipped down the steps if he hadn't been to frail to do so. He certainly didn't want to get hurt falling down the stairs now. This was the best day of his life, it would be a shame to ruin it. He was half way down, when a crashing noise reached his hears.

Akito froze and turned around to look back at the cage in time to see Kyou walk up behind him. The cat continued on as if nothing had happen and began toward the main gate. Not bothering with the lock, Kyou had simply ripped the door off.

"W,w,w,what do you think your doing?"

Kyou stopped and looked back at Akito. His head was high and his step had been light as if he was merely going out for a stroll. As if he had the freedom to do so.

"I said I'd go. I never said I'd stay. It's boring in there and I have a date with Tohru tomorrow. She'd be upset and mope the rest of the day if I canceled on her. I can't have that, now can I." With that having been said Kyou walked away, leaving Akito standing, dumbfounded on the stairs.

Japanese Word of the Day

Hakai - destruction

Nekkyo - crazy ( /\/\ hehehe fun with japanese to english spelling)

Original Character Bios

Frill

Frill's childhood was much like Kyou's up to a point. She was always being compared to other family members children only to be told by her parents that she didn't measure up. Finally, having enough of this treatment she set out to prove just how good she really was by killing the whole lot with their own poisons when she was fourteen. After that, with no family or money, she turned to a life of crime and prostitution, offering up her services both in the bed and in the hired killers business. It was Deva who found her and took her in after recognizing her value in the field. She only seeks to attain glory and fortune for herself and is more then willing to let others do all the hard work for her. In a twisted way she is in love with Deva because he was the first person to outwordly praise her abilities. She picked up Silk out of a desperate atempt to mimic Kyou and Tokino in order to get more attention from Deva.


	11. Are We Having Fun Yet?

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: The first battle scene I have ever written. I'll probably do them a bit differently from now on. This was mostly just a test run to see how I manage. It gave me a lot of problems, but I did finish it, so I guess that counts for something.

Title is from How You Remind Me by Nickelback

* * *

Living though the Meiji Revolution gets horribly boring after the third or fourth time. Really, it does. This time, at least there are demons running amok to make things interesting. I have found the real Demoneyes Kyou as well. He isn't as scary as everyone likes to make him seem. I still think it's funny, I mean what are the chances of there being two people with the name Kyou who have red eyes. Tokino and myself have decided to stick around him for awhile. Things will certainly be more exciting this way. –excerpt from The Road Home. A Drifters Diary.

s

School was back in session and with it all the chatter of students. By the time talk of holiday fun had died down the parent teacher conferences were just around the corner. Tohru had been nervous about it until she heard of her grandfather being ill. Then she was downright panicked. Shigure agreed to go in his stead, and all she had to worry about after that was the old mans health, and Shigure's behavior. Yuki had zoned out for a while whenever the topic was mentioned. After a few days, and a trip to the Sohma house he got over that and was just down right pissy. Kyou didn't care, he had handed over the form to Kazuma and went on with life.

It wasn't like he had never gone though this before, the only difference was this time he had a parent to go. He kinda liked it.

At the moment the teacher was droning on about...something or another. He wasn't paying much attention, and in fact had forgotten what class this was. The weather was still nice and the window by his desk had been left open enough for a breeze to come in. Such a nice, peaceful day. He should have known it wouldn't last. Just as Kyou was about to drift off to sleep, his danger awareness sense went off. The class was startled out their collective, back to school stupor, when he leapt out of his seat and landed on a desk at the opposite end of the room, narrowly avoiding the arrow that had shot though the window.

Someone screamed and the whole class erupted. Everyone was making a mad dash into the hall, thinking they were under some kind of attack. The teacher was making a vain attempt to keep them all calm, and through it all Kyou was the only one to notice the piece of paper attached to the arrow. Really, who uses arrows to send messages anymore, and couldn't it have waited until after school.

He strolled over to his seat and liberated the arrow from its place stuck in his chair. The crowd, fighting its way out of the room, stopped in the absence of more pointy projectiles. He could hear them murmuring to themselves as he read the note. Kyou twitched when he finished. He should have known, after all anyone else would have just called him on his cell phone. The oppressive silence that had befallen the other students made him aware of their eyes watching him.

"What does it say?" a nervous boy finally asked.

"Something stupid." he ripped up the paper and tossed in the trash, before returning to his desk. The class watched as he proceded to pack up his books. Silenced reigned in the room and noone noticed as one of their own, curiosity peeked, dug the the torn note out the garbage.

"Where the hell do you think your going?" Yuki sounded pissed.

"That note was for me and in case the sender decides to deliver another in the same fashion, I think I should be going. I can avoid it, but I'm not so sure about the rest of you."

A general murmur of agreement went though the class.

"I don't think so Sohma." all eyes turned to their teacher. She was brandishing the discarded arrow the way one would a ruler. Kyou watched nervously as she tapped the sharp end against her own palm. That was very dangerous, even if the note hadn't been from Frill, that didn't mean it wasn't poisoned.

"Ah, Sensei, please..."

"Now you listen here." she crowded in on him, pushing him back against a desk.

"But Sensei..."

" I don't care what this is all about,..."she waved the weapon acrossed the room towards it's point of entry.

"That's dangerous."

"...but someone has just endangered the lives of my students and you know who it was. We are going to the principals office and calling the cops. Then we will continue class." she had punctuated her decree by lightly bopping him on the head with the arrow. Then was brought out of her tirade by a snapping noise. She looked at the arrow, seemingly for the first time. Kyou had reached up and snapped it half.

"As I was saying. You shouldn't wave dangerous objects around so carelessly. You could hurt someone."

"The principals office. Now, Sohma."

"Yes ma'am."

"As for the rest of you, you can wait out in the hall until I get back. If anything else comes in though the window notify me at once."

s

"Man, this is humiliating." one boy griped to the next.

"Yeah, why should we have to stay. Shouldn't they, I don't know, close the school or something. I mean someone could have been killed."

"It's not like it was a bomb or anything." Uo didn't even look up from the deck of cards she was shuffling. "Who knows what kind of wierdos Orangey knows. This whole thing could have been over nothing but a request to hang out after school."

At the other side of the hall two of their classmates were trying to fit together a bunch of torn paper. Noone paid it any mind, the two girls were close friends after all. But if you looked closely, you might notice that they, like several other girls, were wearing a matching set of orange citrine earings. Let be known Kyou's fan club was far more discreet then Yuki's. In any case, he had tossed the note in the trash, that made it public property, right?

Finally, it was fitted and taped. They wasted no time reading the contents, their eyes lighting up with glee as they finished.

s

Kyou had been released from the office at lunch. Shiraki Sensei had left him with the principal sometime ago to check on the other students, and he'd been bullshitting his way out of trip to the police station and the hospital ever since. Now, he just wanted to eat lunch and reassure Tohru that everything was jake. Wait, back up one thought process, everything was _fine_. Damn American 20's lingo. How long did one take to lose decade slang anyway? At least he wasn't speaking with a Russian accent anymore, or worse, British. (No offense intended to anyone who happens to be British.)

His wondering thoughts were interrupted by the 1812 overture going off in his backpack. That's funny, he had thought he'd changed it last week to the ninth symphony. O well, he pulled out the phone and flipped it open. A tortured scream from the ear piece split the air, causing him to drop the phone and curl into a ball, hands covering his ears.

"Owww!"

The scream ended, but he waited for the ringing in his ears to die down before picking up the phone. The other students in the hall were staring and muttering. One of the Sohma kids was being weird again.

"...are you even listening," was what he heard when he focused on the other line.

"Sorry, I dropped my phone. Who are you, what do want, and what was with the yelling?" His ears still hurt, he was in no mood to be cordial.

"I said, I wish to apologize for earlier. I'm afraid my servant took it to heart when I told him to deliver my letter personally and as soon as possible. He's a bit behind in the times, as you must be aware by now." Kyou knew that voice and god, but he wished he didn't.

"Sanji, was that the guy with the arrow, screaming just now."

"Take my word, he has been punished for his transgressions."

"You know, I think, it's the one receiving the message that kills the messager, not the one who sent it. Either way, you didn't need to hurt him."

"Yes, well, I assure you he feels no more pain."

"O, good...wait... nevermind."

"I expect to see you at the time and place mentioned. Don't disappoint me as my servant has done." the line went dead. Kyou gave an agrieved sigh. Sanji, the second pillar, was at least honor bound, but still slightly off kilter. If Kyou didn't show up at the assigned place then he would most likely begin to systematically wipe out all of Kyou's family in order to draw him out. He'd get a good and honest fight out of it too. He just wished Sanji had stayed on the line a little longer so they could have arranged a better place. 'Behind the school after class' just wasn't the best place for a battle of swordsmanship that was going to take place should the two of them meet.

s

He found Tohru and the others in the courtyard, empty bento boxes discarded in favor of Uotani's cards.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged out." Uo looked up at him. "You got here just in time to play. Sit down and I'll deal you in." Kyou smiled slightly. Just the thing to get his mind off of that stupid letter.

"Sure. You all looked like you were having an intense conversation. I'm not interupting, am I? He was addressing Haru and Yuki, who had been looking very weary.

"No. They were just talking about what happened last Sunday. I don't see the big deal. I mean from what I understand the place was falling apart anyway." Uo finished dealing out everyones hand.

"You wouldn't understand the historical significance of the house that was lost." Was all that Yuki would say on the matter. Now that Kyou was there the conversation died off, mostly because talking about it front of him made them uncomfortable, considering it's purpose. They focused on the cards instead. Haru had opted out of the game and simply wandered off on his own accord. What followed was quite possibly the strangest game they would ever have. No one was winning, each counteracting the others moves. Finally, after two rounds that had to be redealt, Uo slammed down her cards in annoyance.

"What the hell is going on. This is getting ridiculous. Someone, anyone, win already."

"You want to know why?" Kyou asked.

She gave him a sideways glance and nodded. "If you think you know, enlighten me."

"It's cause we're all cheating."

"That's your answer for everything. Either prove it or come up with something new."

"Fine, you, not only stacked the deck, but you keep a duplicate deck hidden on you. Hanajima is reading our waves in order to determine the luck of our hands, and Yuki has been counting cards. In fact, the only one not cheating in anyway is Tohru, pure soul that she is." Tohru blushed redder then a tomato at the compliment. Uo looked around at the others in the group before turning to Yuki.

"Card counting, huh? No wonder the Prince here always kicks our collective butts."

"At least I don't resort to such crude methods as yours. If you're going to reveal our secrets, what about yours?" He was looking to Kyou now. "You said the only one not cheating is Tohru. That means you're admitting your guilt as well."

"He has been manipulating a redirected lei line in order to increase his luck." Hana supplied.

"If you knew, why didn't you call him on it?" Uo glared at her friend.

"You wouldn't have believed me."

"I would have sent it to Tohru, but I figured she'd be upset it she found out she was cheating, even if she didn't know she was doing so." Kyou sniffed indigently.

"Kyou-kun knows me so well." Tohru beemed at him. Everyone else just groaned.

In the end the game had degenerated into a cheating war. The four of them trying so hard to outdo the others that they never noticed who was taking the actual lead. In the end Tohru was declared the Rich Man. Noone had the heart to contest the verdict and the chime sounded for class to begin again.

s

The sound of the teachers steps was drowned out by the excited chatter of the students. They had gathered in the hall and were vying for the best view out the window. The teacher stood and watched for a moment as they milled around before announcing her presence.

"What is the meaning of this?" The students all turned to her startled.

"And it had better be good.", she added.

They shuffled their feet and looked at eachother. Each was waiting for someone else to say something first. Finally, a timid little waif of a girl stepped forward.

"We just wanted to know who Sohma-kun's lover was.", she blushed furiously.

"What are you talking about?" The girl stepped forward and handed over a taped together piece of paper. The teacher let her eyes scan over the paper and then sighed.

_Kyou Sohma,_

_I wish to finish that which we had started when last we met. I have waited too long for this for you to deny me now. For your convenience, I will be waiting behind your school after the last class._

This was suppose to be a love note?! It was far to stiff sounding. What was with kids these days. It even looked as if the letter was dug out of the garbage.

"Wait. Is this the arrow letter?" she had heard about it at lunch from Mayuko.

A chorus of 'yes' was her answer. She was silent for a thought. Part of her wanted to see the face of the moron who sent a message by arrow and another part of her wanted to call the cops on them. They had indangered the lives of students. Mayuko had actually been really upset once the adrenalin was out of her system. The fact that a student had nearly been killed right in front of her had been bad enough, but for some reason Mayuko had a soft spot for the little punk and that had made it worse.

'That's it.' she decided for her friend she would give the idiot a piece of her mind and then call the cops on his ass. She was about to send everyone home and then go out there and wait with the boy when a shout turned everyones attention back out the window.

"He is meeting with someone, but I don't think it's a romatic rendevous. The other person brought friends. Lot's of angry looking friends." Someone from the front said. In the yard just below the battle lines had been draw. On one side was Kyou, on the other, a man dressed in samurai garb stood. Behind him a group of, at least, fifteen men, all with a variety of weapons. The leader spoke out and Kyou must of replied, because the next minute it was on.

Three men charged and everything after was chaos.

s

Class had let out and Kyou had told Tohru to head home without him.

"I'll be home in time for dinner. I promise."

"Okay then, is there anything in particular that you would like to eat tonight?"

"No, not really. Anything you make will be fine."

She blushed adorably and the two went their separate ways. Tohru towards the front gate with her friends and Kyou out the back. He waited all of ten minutes before they showed up. They...not him.

"So what's with the goon squad. I thought you wanted to settle the score of our last match."

"These men are simply here to test your skills. It wouldn't be right to fight you when in top condition if you've let yourself go soft.

"You just want to wear me down before our match, you two-bit second rate samurai.", Kyou stated blandly. Sanji was silent of the span of half a second. Then just as blandly, "Kill him."

Three men in the front lept forward, converging with a crushing blow to the spot Kyou had occupied. The force of the blow causing dust and debris to rise up in a blinding cloud, obscuring everyone's vision. Kyou had jumped up and out of the way and as he came back down he delivered a mid air roundhouse kick to the first mans face. A twist and his left heal collided with the neck of the second before the first had time to fall. By the time he had knocked out the third, a fourth and fifth were on the move. As he evaded the shuriken the fifth had thrown, he was struck in the middle by the fourth and sent crashing into the school. He spat blood as he rose to his feet, just in time, as more shuriken has been thrown his way. Instead of leaping away again, he caught the two that would have made contact and sent them back to their owner.

He dodged out the fourths next attack, which left another crater in the ground. It was no wonder at the damage, the man had a complicated looking iron gauntlet on, Jarvis' strongarm special. The next attack he was able to intercept and used the man's own momentum to sent him flying into the path of the next batch of throwing stars. The man hit the ground, but kept sliding, leaving a long ditch in his path and taking out the fifth's footing. Kyou didn't waste the opportunity and moved in for the kill. Number Five recovered just enough for one more throw that grazed Kyou's arm before the boy snapped his neck. The sixth had a sword which Kyou caught with the backs of his hands. He pushed the sword away and twisted his body to chop the man in the neck. Six avoided Kyou's strike and went of a upward slash that just knicked his targets chin as Kyou moved out of the way. Quick alchemy was used to make a sheild from the ground for his left arm. He used it to block the next blow, which left him in close enough range to deliver a solid kick to his current adversaries chin. At the same time he swept the swordsman's feet out from under him with his left foot and brought his right knee up and into the mans spine. The shield finished crumbling by the time the body hit the ground.

It was another leap to avoid the tonfa of the seventh. His back arched and his body turned in such a way that he landed fist first on top of the guys skull. He hit the ground in a crouch enabling him to sweep the footing out from under the eight and ninth. The eight bounced back only to find his neck caught between Kyou's ankles. Kyou righted himself from the hand stand, fliping the soldier head first into the ground, then caught the length of the ninth's spear just before it connected with his head. Number nine used the spear to fling him though the air and he landed hard on his shoulders. Tonfa was up and moving again and he had roll out of the way of the impact. The dust exploding from the ground cleared in time for him to see Nine's spear coming at him again. This time he just deflected it.

He then broke it in half and used the end he had to crack the weilder in the temple. Tonfa was at it again, but Kyou was ready this time. The broken spear made an excellent impaling weapon, pinning Tonfa to a tree. He broke it off and ran to meet the tenth, and at the last instant slid under him. The soldier turned around in time to get clobbered by the eleventh as the man's body flew at him. The barest hint of a glimmer moved at him and he bent out of the way just in time to avoid a fatal slicing from the thin wire controlled by number twelve. Kyou saw a few strands of hair separate of their own accord out of the corner of his eye. They were accompanied on their journey by a spurt of blood from where the wire knicked his cheek.

He used the broken end of the spear to block the second attack. The wire sliced though it like butter, but not before a swift tug over balanced the man using them. A burst of speed and he was in striking range. A single hit to the chest knocked the man back. He recovered and took a swing, but Kyou dodged left and got another hit in this time hard enough to take him out.

An arm bigger then Kyou impacted with his middle, sending him flying. He corrected in time to land on all fours against the trunk of a tree. Rebounding off the tree, he flipped so that the his heels collided with the cement block, that was the thirteenth soldier's head. The man just smiled as he grabbed Kyou by the leg and swung him around. Unfortunately, for both sides, the maneuver connected with number fourteen. The man went soaring along with Kyou and in the end Fourteen took most of the damage when they collided with another tree, snapping the trunk in half like a twig. He used goliath's fist, that was coming at his face, as a spring board to back flip onto his opponents arm. He was forced to use the rapid fire punches of the Amaguriken to do enough damage to take down the giant of a man. Number fifteen took one look at the battle crazed expression on Kyou's face and tried to make a run for it. Sanji took his head in one swift motion, so fast that all most people could see was him resheathing his blade.

Kyou half stood, hands braced on his knees and took a deep breath. Sanji clapped his hands in an uninterested kinda way.

"Well done. I am impressed. Now that you have finished playing let us duel."

"Playing?! Don't make it sound like I've been wasting your time by goofing off, when you're the one who ordered them to attack! And in case you haven't noticed I'm not equipped for the duel you want. I don't have a sword on me. You know, what with it generally frowned upon to bring weapons to school, and all."

"That is not a problem. I forsaw such a matter and came prepared." Sanji tossed one of the two swords strapped to his side to Kyou. He caught it one handed and then blinked, slightly confused at it.

"Hey, is this...?" he began, his sentence trailing off as he looked closer at the weapon in his hand. "It is!"

"Excuse me." Sanji was a bit confused by this reaction.

"This is my Muramasa. I thought I lost it ages ago in the fire. It wasn't easy to get this. You have no idea what I had to go though for that old codger. Where did you find it? Hey, wait a minute."

Sanji looked distinctly uncomfortable now.

"Did you steal my Muramasa and set fire to my house?"

"It was an accident I assure you. I have been meaning to return it to you, seeing as it was all I was able to save from the flames."

"Have you used it?" There was a mischievous glint in Kyou's eyes that suggest a inside joke.

"I would never unsheath another warrior's weapon without his permission." Sanji turned his nose up and gave Kyou a sideways look.

"Couldn't get it open, could you?"

"Wouldn't budge an inch." He hung his head in shame. Kyou grasped the handle and drew the blade from it's sheath in one fluid motion.

"This blade was made for me and to my specifications. I am it's master, and only I can draw it forth." there was pride clear in his voice as he said this.

"There is some sort of trick to it and only you know it, because you had it made that way." Sanji's voice was more deadpan then usual, his face blank.

"Yeah, pretty much." Kyou looked him right in the eyes, matching his expression.

"Enough talk." Sanji drew his own katana. "We finish our fight."

And with that he charged.

s

The clash of metal on metal went unheard and unseen. In the hall over looking the battlefield a group of students and one teacher lay passed out on the floor. The mist was just clearing and the glow was fading in Tokino's eyes. She stepped forward and shifted back to her more human form. She moved to the window and watched the battle. Even if they had been conscious for it the group on the floor wouldn't have been able to follow the movements outside. Tokino, however, could see it all just fine, even at the speed the two warriors were moving at.

"Oh, Master. What am I suppose to do now? I hate just sitting around watching."

Kyou and Sanji were, for the most part, evenly matched, and Master had specifically forbid she interfer during one of their little spats. That didn't mean she liked it. Especially when they went all out like now. Both were panting heavily and their clothing torn. Blood was dripping from various, shallow cuts. Evidence of the blows each had received. It would end soon.

Kyou gave a final charge, the katana went flying out of Sanji's hand and disappeared beneath a bush. He backed off driving the tip of the Muramasa into the ground and used the sword to keep himself from falling over. He was exhausted. Sanji dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

"I am defeated. Claim your victory."

"Sanji, we're both bloody and beaten. I don't consider it that great a victory, besides you know my view on the matter. Killing in the heat of battle is one thing, executing the loser is another matter all together. Our duel is settled, now go back to Deva like the good little pet that you are."

"There is another reason I sought you out today."

"Well, spit it out. What do you want now?"

"I felt I should let you know, Legion had fully recovered from your last encounter. I do believe he is looking forward to seeing you again."

Kyou's face went ashen white at the sound of the name.

"Not that I don't appreciate the warning, but why? I mean your comrades, working for the same goal. Why warn the enemy?"

"Legion's interest in you is less then honorable. I believe that only ill for both of you can come from his fixation,... and he creeps me out. I'll be going now. I look forward to our next meeting and my chance to redeem myself for this failure." he pressed on a small jewel on his wrist and vanished in a flash of black light, the dead and unconscious bodies of his servants vanishing with him. The danger over, Kyou gave up and collapsed to the ground, letting the world fade to black around him. Distantly, he could hear Tokino saying something to him. The last thing he felt was the warmth of the healing magic as she began to put him back together.

s

While the school grounds was being relandscaped, Momiji was looking at the new releases at the bookstore. The cashier had told him of a couple of books he might be interested in, that were going on sale today. He'd already selected one and considering another when he happened to notice a girl from school. She had plopped down in the middle of the aisle as she read her choice. She seemed to suddenly become aware of her surroundings, because she slammed the book shut and abruptly stood. She studied the price, made a calculation in her head, then with a determined look on her face, she gave a nod.

"I don't really need to eat tonight anyway." she stated.

"Is it that good?" Momiji couldn't help but wonder. The girl smiled at him and nodded her head before going to the register to check out. He looked to the shelve she had gotten the book and found the one the girl had picked up. He had passed it by the first time, not really paying it any mind. Books had a tendency to blend together when mushed on the shelves. If you didn't have one in specific you were looking for it was easy to not notice any one book in particular.

In this case, Momiji had simply gone right passed it's shelf and on to the next one. The book itself didn't have a outstanding cover and the title was rather plain. Book one of The Drifter's Diary. The Road Less Traveled. Momiji read over the indroduction on the back, then flipped to a random page and started to read. The strangest feeling washed over him. It was as if he should know the person writing it. The feeling churned in the pit of his stomach and he didn't know why it was making him so anxious. It was a mystery and he was going to figure it out, one way or another. Then, maybe the feeling would go away.

Momiji left the store with only the one book that day. When, he got home he opened it to the first page and started reading. The more he read the more things began to fall into place. By the time he reached the second chapter he knew. This was not a fiction, it was autobiography and he knew just who it belonged to.

"But, it's not possible, is it?"

s

Three hours later, Tohru looked up from her homework as the door opened. Kyou more or less stumbled into the house and fell to a kneeing position at the table. She gave a little cry of dismay as he let his head hit the table with enough force to crack the wood.

"Kyou-kun! Are you okay? What happened?" all she got in response was a groan. It translated as something inbetween 'ouch' and 'I'm tired.'

"Are you not feeling well? I'll get you some medicine and some water." she made to leave, but Kyou finally looked up.

"No, I'm fine, really. Just a little tired. I had a bit of a workout, but it's nothing to worry over."

"If your sure. Why don't you get some rest then. I'll help you up to bed." in her overeagerness to help, she forgot one important detail. He was only able to get out a 'no, don't!' before her arms were around him and smoke filled the room. It cleared and Tohru found herself with an orange cat on her lap.

"Oops. I am so sorry. Please forgive my carelessness!" She held him out as she made to bow, but ended up knocking heads with him instead. Stars erupted behind his eyes and he thought he just might pass out again. Tohru was about to go into a fit and was apologing profusely.

"'m fine. Reeallly." he didn't sound fine to Tohru.

"I'll get some aspirin." she started to get up, but the conk to the head had been pretty hard. She got dizzy and plopped back down before making it completely to her feet. Kyou sighed in exasperation.

"Are _you_ okay?" he asked.

"Yes." her voice was kinda pitiful sounding. He couldn't help but chuckle at her. She looked over to him and began to giggle a bit herself.

"So what were you working on when I came in? You looked like you were having trouble." he asked to change to subject and calm her down.

"I was studing for tomorrow's test."

"Do you want some help?" Tohru turned away as he transformed back and got dressed.

"Yuki promised to help when he gets back from his garden. I just thought I'd get a head start." she turned back to see him clothed and leaning over her books. He flipped though it for a moment, then pushed the book in front of her.

"All you need to do is study this equation", he pointed to the one, then flipped the page, "and this one. Everything else is mostly just useless and will only confuse things. I know another way to study that you might find helpful, here I'll teach you. You can astound 'Squeekers' with your amazing intellect when he get's here." Tohru snorted ever so slightly from trying not to laugh at the new name Kyou had given his cousin. He never used the pet name around Yuki himself, but Tohru figured it was just to keep the peace. They hadn't been fighting resently since one or the other was usually off somewhere, and it seemed to be agreed that they wouldn't actually fight on the school grounds.

When that arangement was made, she didn't know. Yuki came into the house to wash up and was greeted with cheerful laughter and pleasant conversation in the main room. He walked in to see Kyou getting up from the table.

"Are you sure? You've already done so much for me. I don't want to take advantage." Tohru was saying.

"Don't worry yourself about it. You've been working hard, it's the least I can do to help out. Besides, I'd hate feeling like a mooch, living here rent free."

"What are you two up to?" Yuki asked. It looked like their math book, but he didn't recongize the page it was open to.

"Kyou-kun was helping me study while I waited for you. He said he'd make dinner tonight so I could continue. Isn't that very nice of him." Tohru beemed up at him. Kyou gave him a sideways look, then turned back to Tohru.

"Just do what I showed you and your class ranking will sky rocket in no time." he turned to walk to the kitchen. "I leave the rest to 'his royal highness'." Yuki glared after him for the title.

* * *

Omake

Cagey Intentions Pt.2

Akito smiled in satisfaction at the new door of the Cat's House. He had the hinges and locks both reinforced this time. Noone was going to brake it down. He opened the new door with an air of superiority befitting one of his greatness and pointed the way in for the cat. Kyou looked from him to the doorway, sighed and walked in. This time all he had with him was a backpack. There was a clanging sound as Akito locked the door.

"Let's see you get out of this now. Stupid beast."

"Well, okay if you insist." was the answer from inside. This time not only the door but the framework as well broke away. Kyou stood there his hand raised, palm open as if he had done nothing more then push against it. Akito's eyes bugged out in shock and Kyou smiled and waved.

"Hi. How's it going?"

"I'm having a bad day."

"That's to bad. Do you want to talk about it over some tea? I know a nice little café we can go to." Kyou asked.

"That would be nice...wait, no I don't want to talk to you. I want you locked away where noone has to look at you!" Akito was mad now.

"Sorry, what with the hole here and all, I don't think that's going to happen. Now, sense you don't what to talk about your problems, I'm going to go home. I have entrance exams to study for."

With that, Kyou grabbed his backpack and walked away.

Japanese Word of the Day

Kakato - combat

Keshikakeru - provoke, instigate

Tabun - Maybe, probably

Original Character Bios

Sanji

Sanji worked as a samurai until, fearing his brutal nature, the lord he served abandoned him. He was left to wonder as a dishonored samurai for many years until he finally succumbed to the temptation of life as a hired asssassin. He lost himself to the bloodshed, corrupting his honor code, and grew to depend on winning the battles as a validation of his existence. Deva first hires him to fight in test for a combat system created by Jarvis, then hired him permanently when bestest the system.


	12. Explain this Clarissa

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: The anime mentioned in the opening is Escaflowne. I didn't care much for the manga version and the movie was okay, but I still liked the series over all. Even if I did want to punch the characters most of the time. On a side note that has nothing to do with this fic, I now have a neurotic 10 year old Doberman to go with my 3 neurotic cats. Go me.

Title: Explain this Clarissa by Mindless Self Indulgence

* * *

I thought perhaps this Dornkirk guy could be of use. He seemed to be on the right track at the time, but the longer I stay here the longer I begin to doubt his sanity. It would appear he is more interested in total control and absolute power then anything else. It is in my experience that dicators of a like mind end up on the wrong end of rebellion. Tokino has volunteered to investigate the restricted area I found recently, but I don't feel right about it. I have heard childrens voices from the vents that lead there. I think I will go myself tonight. –excerpt from Unexpected Detours. A Drifter's Diary.

s

The general murmur of confusion was interrupted by the assistant principal ushering the student body back to class. No one knew what to make of the whole thing. What on earth could have caused such damage. The ground was littered with holes, something had ripped up the grass in long strips, and there was the impressive dent in the brickwork. It seemed to most that something had impacted with the school wall, but what was anyones guess.

So, guess they did. Right now the rumor was that bits of space junk had fallen to earth and collided with the building. The thought was dismissed when it was pointed out that there would have been remains if that had been the case. Another student had suggested that it looked like the result of some kind of fight out of a manga. This was shot down almost immediately. Something like that would have been noticed and made it into the news. This was the real world, and stuff like that didn't happen in the real world. Certainly, if someone had been thrown into the wall hard enough to do that kind of damage they wouldn't have survived.

He was accused of being an otaku and everyone stopped listening to what he had to say. Except Kyou who slouched in his seat and tried to blend in with the desk. The students and teacher had been taken care of and remembered nothing, Tokino had seen to that.

'I should have tried to fix some of the damage last night, but I forgot.'

"Kyon! You in there, man." He blinked awake as a hand waved in front of his face.

"Huh, what?" he said with all the intelligence he could draw forth. His friend shook his head in exasperation.

"I asked what you thought happen? You were a million miles away and your face is red. Thinking about a girl, were ya?" this question was accompanied by a suggestive smirk and a leer worthy of Shigure.

"No, not really." he had learned to keep his responses to the boy short and uninterested sounding. If he didn't the brat would bring the rest of the class in on his teasing. Something Kyou found to be highly irritating, particularly when Tohru's creepy little friends joined in.

"Your no fun. Are you sure you weren't thinking about a girl." desperation. Kyou just stared at him. He had been thinking about Tohru.

"Should I just give you up to the other side, or what?" the jib was meant to rile him up. He wanted Kyou to heatedly deny it. Kyou wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Believe what you will. The teacher is coming, you should sit down." the boy was about to protest this when the door to the classroom opened and Shiraki sensei yelled at everyone to return to there seats.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"How did you know the teacher was coming, you psychic now?" he had heard her coming down the hall, but giving that his desk was on the other side of a busy room he figured it best not to mention that.

"I said sit!" Shiraki's voice sent the boy flying to his seat along with the rest of the stragglers.

"It has yet to be determined what happened yesterday and if anyone here", she was looking right at him, "witnessed the vandalizism of the property they should step forward. Well?" she tapped her fingers on her desk. The rest of the class turned, in unison, to look at him. Kyou effected his best 'I don't know anything' look and shrugged.

"If I find out you had something to do with this mess, so help me, I'll do worse then dying your hair black."

"But, Shiraki sensei, I look weird with black hair." Truthfully he did. It had been done before with the result that it brought out the red in his eyes and gave him a demonic appearance. It was fine when one is wondering around in the Makai, but they weren't in the Makai right now. Besides, he liked his natural hair color.

Mayuko just gave him a dirty look and started class after a general reminder that some of them had parent teacher conferences that afternoon. She expected them to be there for the appointment. Again, she sent him a look, this time Kyou just ignored it.

s

Classes let out soon enough and his was the first conference after school. Kazuma was waiting for him and together they entered his home room teachers office. It began with the general comments about performance in class, then eventually moved on to the big question. What did he plan to do after graduation? Continue his education or get a job? What universities would he like to attend? He didn't know. He hadn't really put much thought into it, usually he just went wherever the road took him. Kazuma told him it was fine, he didn't need to decide right now.

After all, he had plenty of time to make up his mind. After a time, Mayuko asked to speak with Kazuma alone. Kyou excused himself and spend the wait talking with Tohru and her friends. Well, more like being slightly freak out about Hanajima's newly developed interest in his foster father. Inside the room Mayuko cut right to the chase.

"I think he's been purposely holding back on his studies." she wasted no time in stating.

"How do mean?"

"I mean, I think he's smarter then he's letting on. Recently, his grades have been steadily improving, but on the tests and mid terms he reverts back to his initial average. It's like on the important scores, namely the ones to determine class rank, Kyou tries to get a low grade. I can't understand why, but I've caught him purposely erasing right answers and replacing them with wrong ones."

Kazuma was silent as he contemplated her findings. He new why of course, Kyou had already told him. Now he needed to find a way to say so without giving away all the boys secrets. The Zodiac Curse being the least of them. Thinking of which, he smiled as a recent memory surfaced. Yes, he would keep all of the secrets he had been shown, no matter how badly he would like to see them flaunted before certain _peoples_ faces.

He looked at Mayuko, took in her expression, and choose his words.

"I trust Kyou to make decisions that are best for him. I have faith that he knows what he's doing."

s

Yuki snapped his cell phone shut with a sigh. Signing the permission form for it was probably the nicest thing his mother had ever done for him. He'd rather not think about her right now, however. The meeting with Shiraki sensei had been a disaster. His mother had been rude and pompous and his brother had barged in and only upset matters, even if Yuki did appreciate the man trying to stand up for him. He didn't need the help anymore. Maybe he'd be nice and stop by Ayame's shop later, or not.

Right now, he was heading to his garden. He needed the down time after the talk with Kakeru. He like the other boy's friendship, but the kid really took a lot out of him. In fact, the cell phone was Kakeru's idea in the first place. He goaded the student council president mercilessly when he found out Yuki didn't have one. The whole thing ending when he announced that 'even the orange haired boy has one.'

He had even been more surprised to find out that Tohru had one as well. _'Kyou gave it to me. In case I needed anything, I could get a hold of someone. Even if it's just Hana-chan or Uo-chan.'_ She had then gone on to show him her technical know how. _'He even showed me how to program different ring tones for the different people on my call list.'_ She had given him all the numbers she had on hers when he bought the phone. Mostly it was the other Sohmas and her two friends.

Kyou's number was in there somewhere, he hadn't been bothered enough to find it and delete it. He was brought out of his musing as he reached his garden. His refuge from the world and all his other problems. Tending the the new buds and harvest the ripe vegetation always seemed to calm him. He had been pulling weeds when he felt the presence. He looked around and listened for footsteps but couldn't find any trace of approach.

A falling leave caught his attention and he followed its passage of decent up to the tree it detached from. That girl was there, Kisa's little friend from school. She was laying stomach down, stretched out on one of the branched, lazily watching him. He regarded her, as she let one leg dangle from the tree.

"It's rude you know." she said finally.

"What is?"

"To wake someone from their nap only to gawk at them. I was having a nice dream."

"I am sorry to disturb you,( he wasn't really, she was trespassing on their property after all)but what are you doing up there?" for some reason she irritated him.

"I told you, I was taking a nap."

"Yes, but why are you napping in a tree? Is Kisa here visiting Honda-san? I didn't see her."

"You ask to many questions. You may as well have asked why does the grass have to be green? It's all the same really. As for why am I napping in the tree? The answer is simple, 'because I am.' " Ah, that would be the reason she irritated him.

"That was not an answer. This isn't some Alice in Wonderland fairytale. Answer my question."

"Don't you know this is Wonderland and I'm the Cheshire Cat," she sat up and straddled the branch, then slowly lifted all her weight on her hands before flipping to land in a crouch on the next branch down.

"The reason I am in this tree is because it gives me an advantage point and the reason I was napping is because I was bored waiting for my prey."

"And what prey would that be?"

"You."

s

Tohru was having a pleasant conversation with Momiji when the door slid open with a bang. Yuki was on the other side, holding little Tokino away by the shoulder as she babbled on about something. He hadn't been paying it any mind. Both Tohru and Momiji noticed the dirt covering the two of them. It wasn't everyday that one was treated to the sight of a filthy looking Yuki. The usually pristine teenager's hair was in complete disarray. Leaves were sticking to him in various places and the moment he turned around they could see streaks of mud staining the back of his clothes. Tokino became aware of them and smiled brightly.

"Hiya, Tohru. Can I stay for dinner?" The girls rudeness sent Yuki reeling.

"Hello Tokino-chan. I don't see why not, Momiji is staying too."

"Oh yeah! I came over to let you borrow that book. Here." The diminutive teen handed Yuki the item in question and smiled.

"I think you will really like it. The main character is an interesting one."There was something in the way he spoke that gave Yuki pause. Like Momiji was hinting at something. Well, he'd find out later when he had time to read. Right now, he needed a bath and a change of clothes.

"You take a bath and I'll find you a change of clothes, okay Tokino-chan?" Tohru's voice drifted from the hall. Yuki looked around and noticed the lack of both girls.

"Okay, thank you!" was shouted from the bathroom and then the door slammed shut. So much for that bath, he'd have to wait. He sighed deeply and headed up to his room. He'd read some of the book while he waited.

s

It was sometime later when Yuki was called down to eat. He'd gotten caught up in the book and had forgotten about the time. As it was everyone was already at the table waiting for him. Tohru had already set the table and put the food out. As the food was being past around he took a moment to observe their guest. Tokino's clothes had been put in the wash, so she had to borrow clothes from the house.

From the looks of it Tohru had raided Kyou's closet for a large shirt. He wonder why she didn't just loan the girl one of her outfits. It would have fit better. The sound of a plate scrapping on the table drew him from his thoughts. Kyou was pushing a plate of leaks away from his person.

"Sorry, I can't eat those." he stated. Yuki gave a disbelieving snort. For as much as he had changed, Kyou was still the same. Before Tohru apologized, Yuki grasped the plate and scooped up a mass of the green vegetation with a flick of his chopsticks.

"Grow up and eat them, ingrate." And he advanced on the other boy. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten that Kyou was faster then he was used to be. The boy didn't spend much time at the house as of late and their interaction had been limited. So he was a little surprised when his chopsticks were intercepted by Kyou's, halting their progress. Simultaneously, he gave Yuki a jab to the center of his chest. There was pop and cloud of smoke as Yuki transformed. He sat there looking up at Kyou, too stunned to move.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Don't over exaggerate, just because you don't like them." The shock wore off.

"I'm not! They give me anemia, you ass!" silence reigned after the revelation. Tohru looked between the boys, a confused expression on her face.

"What's anemia?" she asked. Kyou was the one to respond to her inquiry.

"Anemia, or more to the point in this case, hemophilic anemia is the destruction of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin is the part of the cell that carries oxygen to the different parts of the body. Clinical signs of anemia are pallor, headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, vomiting, and in severe cases...death. Leaks, onions, and garlic are all causes of anemia in cats. I happen to be susceptible to them as well. So, you can understand why I refuse to eat such things."

The days medical analysis finished, Tohru stood abruptly, and grabbed the plate of leaks from the table.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know, I'll never make them again! Here, let me dispose of these right away!" He grasped her arm to still her movement.

"That's okay, the others might like to finish them."

"Oh, right. Sorry." she put the plate back down and returned to her seat.

"Now children, I do believe that in light of tonights revelation we have overlooked something that we really should not have," Everyone looked to Shigure, who in turn pointed at the seat next to him. Yuki turned back to normal just as the implications of what Tokino had just seen sank in. Oops. Tokino meanwhile, just sat there, ignoring the commotion and continued to eat. She became aware of the attention she was getting and looked around at them.

"What? Do I have food on my face?"

Shigure rewarded the question with one of his own. "Aren't you...surprised by what just happened?" he asked.

"No, I already knew about the anemia thing," She took another bite and let her eyes drift up to stare at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"But then, I know a lot about cats. Like most cats seem to really like olives," she stated. Tohru turned to Kyou for conformation of this. He shrugged, olives were okay, but he didn't really care one way or the other. Tokino continued on her lesson on feline trivia.

"Did you know that not all cats are effected by catnip? It's true, I know one. And their far sighted. Let's see, cat's were revered almost as gods in ancient Egypt, they were even given the same burial rights as pharaoh's. Not long after they were introduced into Asia they were taken in by the royal families as a sign of wealth and prosperity. In the Buddhist religion cat's are considered closest to god. When one dies it goes to Buddha himself and speaks on behalf of the human family it left behind. It is believed that the truly faithful are reincarnated in the form of a cat.

In 1602 cat's saved Japan from economic collapse. Silk was it's main trade and rats had been eating all the silk worms. Cat's had recently been made available to the general public and had been kept inside. The government gave a mandate that the family's owning them should let them run free to kill the rat's. Cat's are said to bring family serenity and good fortune...if treated with respect. If you don't, they will turn into a nekomata and control the bodies of your dead relatives to drive you insane! Isn't that silly," she giggled a little, but the humor was lost to all but Kyou.

"Yeah, so be nice," he added.

"Nekomata?" asked Yuki. He was a bit thrown off by the knowledge that had just been bestowed on him. As far as he knew, noone in the Sohma family had ever really bothered to look into the history or lore of cats. Maybe, considering the curse, they should have.

"You know, two tails, meter tall, can speak in human languages and walks upright. They get the second tail when they turn ten and with them all their power. "

That description reminded him of something, except for one thing. The so-called "true form" of the cat didn't have two tails. When he thought about it, it didn't even have one. He had never given it much thought, noone did. They didn't like to think about it all, with the exception of Akito, but no good ever came from Akito giving anything much thought. Maybe...he was curious now, he had to ask.

"What would happen if you cut off their tails?"

"I'm just guessing here, but it would probably be trapped in a horrific state between life and death unable to move on, bent on seeking a terrible revenge upon the moron stupid enough to defile it in such a way! But I'm just guessing," she turned her attention back to her food. Shigure cleared his throat, suddenly he felt very uncomfortable in the same room as Kyou. Thinking it was best to change the subject to something less unnerving his mind reminded him of the dilemma at hand. Tokino had seen Yuki transform. How Kyou triggered the response he'd have to inquire about later.

"While that was very educational, it wasn't quite what I was wondering about. You did just see what happened a moment ago, didn't you?" he wasn't going to say it, just in case. Either way Yuki had changed back some time ago, she had to have witnessed that much at least.

"Oh, you mean the rat thing. Eh, I've seen more impressive feats of magic. Though I must say, someone must really hate you. To make you turn into a creature know for living in filth, ceaselessly devouring everything in their path, and spreading decease. At least their durable. Mostly."

"I'm guessing you don't like rats," Tohru asked more than stated.

"I don't mind them really. The special bred pet store ones are kinda cute. In a creepy, beady-eyed sort of way. But he turned into your typical Bubonic plague, sewer rat variety."

"You aren't going to tell anyone? Are you?" Yuki asked nervously. Now that he was brought back to the fact that another person had seen the curse in action. They would have to call Hatori in to take care of it.

"Why would I? You have your secrets, I have mine, to each their own, live and let live, and all that. I kinda knew before hand. Kisa and I don't keep secrets from each other, at all," she looked Kyou right in the eye. Tokino had been meaning to tell him about the Kisa thing, she had. It was just that she didn't know how to it go about doing so. That, and she didn't like it when her Master got mad at her. He hadn't actually given her permission to tell anyone the truth.

"Is that so," Kyou smiled at her. It wasn't one of his more pleasant ones. Yep, Master was pissed. She looked down at her plate and went about finishing her dinner as quickly as possible. She had the sudden urge to be elsewhere. The table descended into quiet, as each one lost themselves in their own thoughts.

s

Tokino had excused herself after dinner was done and made hast out of the house. Tohru busied herself in the kitchen with the dishes. Shigure locked himself in his study, the not quite whispered one-way conversation gave evidence of a call to Hatori. Damage control. Kyou had muttered something about needing some fresh air and left. Yuki needed to clear out his head. To many things going though his thoughts. To many possibilities to consider, just simply to much.

His homework for tomorrow was finished, so that was a no go. His garden, well, the damage would have to wait until later, it was too dark out to do anything about it now. At least he had managed to avoid any full body contact during the little skirmish, not that it matter anymore. His eyes landed on the new book Momiji had lent him. That was just what he needed to take his mind off of all it's current troubles.

He had gotten though the first three chapters before dinner and could probably finish two more before he needed to sleep. The story was engaging and he like the main character. He connected well with him or her, gender hadn't been made known, and could feel for them. They were a lot alike, both living in a world that they could never really fit into, both having lived though things they wished they hadn't. It was getting intriguing, a dark secret had been hinted at and he wanted to know what it was. After all, it was one more thing they had in common, secrets. As a result of that thinking, he had begun to think of the drifter as 'Himitsu', for lack of a name.

Yuki pick up the book, laid back on his bed, and began to read. He drifted off to sleep a hour later in that same position, the book resting on his lap.

s

"So what did you think? Did you like it?" Momiji asked, two weeks later. Yuki stared at the book in his hand.

"Is the drifter suppose to be a man or a woman? It never did say, but other then that I liked it. It was nice, being able to identify with the main character. That hasn't happened in awhile. I take it this will be a series, correct?"

"That's what it said on the publisher's web page," Momiji smiled as he put the book in his backpack.

"By the way, why are you here today? You didn't come here just for the book, I could have given it back at school," Yuki studied his younger cousin. Momiji had been spending a lot of time at Shigure's recently. The boy showed up an hour after school and left before dinner. Unless Tohru had to work that night, then he would walk with her.

"To see Tohru, of course. What other reason would there be? She has been learning German from one of those language cd's and I've been helping. I'm not the only one either," was his cryptic response.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me one of her friends speaks it," he wouldn't believe it until he heard it for himself. As far as he knew Uotani didn't care enough to learn something like that and Hanajimi was barely passing standard English.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so why don't you find out for yourself. Just listen to the cd she has been using. It has even been customized just for her. I'm a little jealous that I didn't think to do something like it myself. So were is Tohru anyway? She is usually doing the laundry today, but I didn't see her and everything has already been hung up."

"That girl, Kisa's friend, Tokino is over again. I think they are in Tohru's room."

"In that case, do you know were Kyou is?"

"He took off into the trees, said something about needing to clear his head. Why?"

"I was just going to let him know that I saw Rin lurking around. She has been asking about him lately." Momiji seemed almost giddy about it for some reason. It wasn't any of Yuki's concern, so what should he care. He headed out, leaving Momiji to his own devices in the kitchen. Ten minutes later and he was wishing he had taken the warning more seriously as he ran into Rin herself. She was yelling at him, which was usual. She hated just about everyone except Haru and that had recently come into question itself.

Speak of the devil, Hatsuharu showed up just in time to make it worse. The verbal spat the three were having was just about to degenerate into flinging personal insults and pouring salt in old wounds when the body interrupted them. It hit a tree and then, impossibly, vanished into nothing in a poof a white smoke. Not unlike their own transformation, except they still existed after the boom.

"What the fuck was that?" Rin yelled

"How the hell should I know," Haru shot back.

"Is it really necessary to swear?" Yuki meant it rhetorically, but the others shot him a filthy look and shouted 'yes' anyway. The fight might have started again if not for the ground rumbling beneath them. First a person made out of smoke, now an earthquake. It stopped just as suddenly as it started and they all reclaimed their balance. Just as Yuki was about to speak, Kyou burst out of nowhere and slid to halt in the groups presence. There was blood seeping down from his hairline and into his eye.

The look on his face when he saw them could only be panic. A faint whining sound reached Yuki's ears. Kyou must of heard it as well, he looked behind him and the panic turned to urgency.

"Shit! Everyone get down now!" he didn't give them an option to disobey, instead he body slammed Yuki to the ground and pulled Haru and Rin down by their shirts. Just in time apparently, because no sooner then they hit the dirt, then a pinkish beam of light pierced the same tree that the body had hit. There was no poof of smoke this time. The tree erupted, splinters and charred foliage rained down on them. Yuki could hear Rin scream as Haru shielded her.

The hand on his own head released him and he looked up. Kyou was breathing heavy, like he had just ran all the way from the other side of Japan. The ground began to shake again and Yuki found himself being halled up by the back of his shirt.

"Run!" Kyou shouted, but it was too late.

s

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! No offense Tohru, but you don't take that load of rubbish seriously, do you? I mean, I know people like those 'underdog wins in the end' stories, but that one takes the cake," Tokino took a deep breath to try to get herself under control again. Kisa hadn't ever told her the back story of the curse before and she hadn't really thought to ask about it. Why should she have, she already heard the real story straight from the cat's mouth himself. Er, well, if she wanted to get technical it was really Masters mouth. The cat was just using it in light of the fact that he didn't have a body anymore, let alone a mouth of his own.

She had stopped by to bring a gift as an apology for her behavior on her last visit. Tohru had insisted she stay awhile and they had started talking about their families and the like. Tokino had kept her mouth shut during the story about that dirty old hat even when she noticed the older girls eyes flicker in what Tokino referred to as the wrong direction. Eyes where interesting things. When telling a story they would drift in one direction when stating a fact and the other when making something up. Several times during the explanation Tohru eyes had indicated she wasn't telling the whole truth, but Tokino let it slide. It was a long time ago, people forget things as they were and fill them in as they see fit in the retelling. However, the story of the Chinese Zodiac that the girl had just recited was too much for her companion and Tokino couldn't stop herself.

"What do you mean? Do you know a different version?" Poor Tohru was confused now, she had only ever known one story.

"Well, for starters did you know that in some other Asian cultures there is a year of the cat instead of the rabbit?"

"Really, that's great news. I have to tell Kyon-kun when he gets back today," Tohru entire face brighten to the point that her guest felt the need to shield her eyes from it. Not really, Tokino often over exaggerated things.

"Uh sure, you do that," He already knew that, but Tokino didn't have the heart to burst her friends bubble. "Anyway, the real story goes like this. God and the other animals were a bunch of uninsightful, idio..." she trailed off before she had even gotten started. Her eyes went wide as she looked out the balcony window.

"Tokino, are you okay? Is something wrong?" Tohru was getting worried.

"Their here," Tokino whispered under her breathe, "I'm sorry I'll have to tell you later. I need to go, Master needs me! He's in danger, Tohru stay here. No matter what you hear, don't leave the house!" She threw open the sliding glass door and leapt off the balcony, running straight into the woods.

"Tokino-chan, wait!" Tohru could only watch as the young girl disappeared into the trees.

s

"What the hell is that thing? I don't remember this being a mecha anime!" Haru yelled as he narrowly avoided the next blast. The giant robot swivelled one of its' laser eyes in its' domed head to follow the boys movements. "Rin, get out of here. I'll distract it while you run." Haru suddenly found himself slammed into the ground by Yuki. The spot were he had been standing was now a smoking hole in the planets surface.

"And who is suppose to distract it from you? Watch yourself, would you!" The older sounded annoyed as he climbed to his feet, dragging Haru up with him. They looked up in time to watch in terror as the behemoth machine fired on them. Just before it hit, a shout that sounded like 'Flare Arrow' was heard and the bolt of light was discharged before connecting. The robot was moving forward toward them still, until with a metallic clang a large rock hit it right in the second laser eye. Both red, ocular devices rotated around to look behind it.

The interesting thing about the war machine was its lack of a defined front or back. It could change direction without having to turn around and it did so frequently. One arm had a rifle of some sort, the other had a clawed hook attachment on it. Right now it was moving away from them, the eyes and arms simply swinging around to the effect that it's back was now it's front and it was heading straight for Kyon.

"Isuzu, go to the house. I'll take care of this thing, you two can fight off the others. Don't hold back, they won't." He shouted out to them as he ran back through the trees, the robot chasing after.

"The others?" Yuki had a bad feeling about that. The feeling was justified when shadows among the foliage began to move, distinguishing themselves as people. They wore something like uniforms, and moved with the fluidity of limp puppets on strings. And there was a whole mess of them coming at them. Rin, in light of the situation, ceased her protests to leave and made a run for it. She only stopped to look back once as the sound of fighting broke through the trees.

s

Kyou was ducking under a low-hanging branch when the flames almost took him out. He looked over his shoulder in time to see the last of the pyrotechnics disappear into the nozzle of the flame-thrower. 'I don't remember these things having flame-throwers. 'Jarvis must have updated them,' he was brought out of his musings by another burst of fire that he barely avoided. It was then, as a few strands of his singed hair smoked, that the reality of burning clicked. So, he did what many would do in his situation. He ran away screaming. Unfortunately for him the machine was programed to learn from its mistakes and its accuracy had been improved as well. Fortunately for him, he wasn't really there. The shadow clone went poof like the one before it. At least it had given the real Kyou a break from having to fight all three of the things.

s

Yuki and Haru were holding their own against the horde of soldiers. Puppets they may have seemed like at first, but soon after their appearance they proved to be quite formidable. Their movements were fast and agile with deadly precision. An amendment: Yuki was holding his own and keeping Haru alive. The other had already gone off the deep end and was more or less mindlessly charging whoever was in front of him. Moments ago five people dressed like ninja, and possessing the skills to match, had joined them. The ninja were coming in handy seeing as the enemy numbered at least sixty and seemed to be indestructible.

Yuki delivered what should have been a knock out blow and then retreated to stand back to back with Haru. The younger was breathing heavily and Yuki could smell the sweat as it dripped off him. Those on the ground around them were starting to get back up.

"We knock them down and they just get back up again. What is with these people?" Hatsuharu wondered as he moved forward in a pre-emptive strike.

"I don't know, but noone should be able to take this much damage and still be able to stay conscious. It's as if they aren't human." Yuki responded as he dodged a mid-air kick aimed for his head. His attacker landed in a crouch, a psychotic grin on his face. He leapt, but was thrown aside by one of the ninja, a young girl about Yuki's age with her hair in a long braid.

"They may as well not be human anymore. They gave their souls up to Legion and are now little more than marionettes. Bad for them and for us!" She said as she moved away on to the next fight. Yuki blocked/evaded several attacks as he yelled out to the girl. "What does that have to do with this?" A leg sweep took down his current opponent for the moment. A man with spikey hair answered him, the girl from before having moved to far away. "Legion now controls their bodies. They don't respond to pain anymore, their speed and strength has been increased to it's maximum potentional!"

"Who the hell is Legion?" Haru was getting annoyed at the sound of that name.

"And why is he sending his toys to attack us?" Was what Yuki wanted to know.

"A sick, perverted freak! Pray that you never find yourself in his company! The only reason you're being involved is because you were in the vicinity and now he considers you as his targets backup!" the man was heading away now, so he didn't hear Yuki's plaintiff call of 'but this our home'.

The girl somersaulted over his head and yelled out an answer, "Doesn't matter to Legion," before rushing back into the field of battle.

An explosion in the distance rocked the earth beneath them, sending them to the ground. Haru happened to look up and saw what looked like a person flying in the air, really flying despite the lack of wings and laws of physics which said such a thing was impossible. Something was coming at the person and they moved away in time to escape the detonation. In response to the maneuver, a light similar to the one from the mecha earlier, fired at the person from the trees.

"Haru look out behind you!" he turned at Yuki's shout in time to watch as the largest of the ninja took a knife in the chest for him. Instead of bleeding to death like a normal person, the ninja just smiled at him then 'popped' out of existence in a cloud of smoke. Hatsuharu had no time to contemplate the similarity to the person that hit the trees before this whole thing had started. The soldier was recovering and coming at him again. As he prepared for the fight, a shout of 'fireball' came from his left and the soldier was engulfed in fire. The fire went out and the soldier stumbled back, suddenly he fell limp to the ground. Haru watched, slightly disgusted but mostly disturbed, as the man's body began to rapidly decompose.

"Shit!" he turned to the female ninja carrying the small disc/shield. "It's to late for these idiots. Their souls have been detached to long. They're nothing but walking corpses. On the bright side I don't have to hold back now. A path is about to open out of here, you two run home. I doubt they'll chase after you. They will be busy being destroyed. Everyone, front and center!"

Yuki followed suit as the other two remaining ninja joined Haru and their comrade. The woman took in a deep breath, brought her hand up to her face, and breathed out a rather impressive burst of pyrotechnics. Sure enough the trick took out enough of the soldiers to open a space for the Sohmas to escape. "Go now!" and they found themselves being pushed forward. They ran off, with Yuki in the lead for obvious reasons.

s

Tokino cursed softly to herself as she felt the chakra of the last clone dissipate. She had manage to catch up with the first one when he was trying to save the Sohmas from Jarvis' toy. She really wished the clones could use magic, but...and now she had to go back because Master had ordered her to protect his family. Just when she was getting into it too. Master was right thought, it was time to finish this. They had found the location of the soul vase and Master was going to take down both the three tin men and the undead horde in one blow. Neither Jarvis or Legion had actually shown up, the little pansy-asses but, the Sohmas were there and they wouldn't be able to withstand the blast either.

So, she had been sent back to find and protect them. Good thing, if she hadn't been there to fireball the ghoul Haru would have been a lost cause, again. The boys had headed to the house not long after but that wasn't what had her upset, the boys had just run into Tohru and bunny boy, heading into the woods. The shadow clones were gone, the chakra used for the kage bushin gone and Master was drawing all their enemies to him. Tokino could feel the power building behind her, she was running out of time. She would have to do this the direct way.

s

Tohru had decided to go after Tokino despite the girls warning. On the way downstairs she had bumped, literally, into Momiji. After waiting for him to change back, and explaining her hurry, he figured it best to go with her. Mostly, he was curious about the story Tokino had been about to tell. Not long after they left the house they found Rin. The girl was babbling uncontrollably and when they finally got all the details out of her it only made Tohru more worried. Rin refused to go back and it was all Momiji could do to keep up with Tohru as she raced to find her friends. Soon enough the two met up with Yuki and Haru, as they charged through the brush. They were getting in something of a hysterical argument about were to go and what to do, Tohru wanted to look for Kyon, while the others wanted to find someplace less infested with soulless undead soldiers. It was while Yuki was trying to figure out a way to hold Tohru back without hurting her or holding to much of her, that a straggling soldier appeared.

The man made a grab for Tohru as she screamed in fright. Before the boys could move to save her, she reached out and jabbed him in the eyes. Still screaming like a banshee she brought her elbow up and across his face before grabbing him by the neck and forcing his head down as she brought up her knee. The crunch of cartilage was heard clearly but Tohru wasn't done. She held his arm as she turned, bring herself into position to fling him over her shoulder. She hadn't even once paused in her terrified screaming. Finished with the man, Tohru ran for cover behind Momiji, who wondered why him of all of them. From what they just saw she was more likely to be able to protect him. They were brought out of their stunned immobility when Tokino dropped out of the trees. She wasted no time with pleasantries.

"Everyone get close and stay behind me! The shit is about to hit the fan!" she was turned away from them, her hands held in front of her as if she was blocking a punch. Then, they heard it, a voice in the distance, yet loud and commanding. It echoed over the trees,

"Heed me thou who is darker than dusk, he who is more red then blood." The sky above them turned dark and ominous. "In the name of that which has been buried in the bottomless abyss of time eternal I summon thee." Strange lights appeared, swirling in the sky. " In your great name here I make a vow to darkness, merge thine strength with mine to deliver destruction to all equally. I pledge my self to conquer all who stand against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. DRAGON SLAVE!!"

Tokino let lose with a war cry as the whole woods was awash with light. Wind bent tree trunks, smoke blocked off sight, and the heat was enough to melt glass. Within the Qi gong shield a thick multi-colored smoke clouded around Tokino. As the dust settled and the trees still rooted to the earth straightened themselves again, the girl looked back at her friends. Tohru sat, wide-eyed, and still. Clutched in her arms were a rabbit, a rat, and most uncomfortably, a cow. After a deep intake of air the young woman's eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out.

"Well, that went better then I expected it to. Master has gotten a lot better at controlling it. Of course the magic around here is fairly weak...hey, are all of you going to be okay?"

"What was that?" asked a shell shocked Momiji.

"Dragon Slave." Tokino smiled.

"Oh." the poor kid was slow in coming out of it. Tokino respectively turned away as they charged back and got dressed. It was as Yuki was trying to wake Tohru that Haru remembered something rather important.

"Um, anyone here seen Kyon?" He asked looking around. Yuki's heart skipped a beat as he tried to remember when they had last seen their cousin. As irritating as he could be sometimes Yuki didn't want anything real bad, like death, to happen to him. "He wasn't with us. He was fighting that thing."

"That means he was still out there when that, whatever it was went off!" Yuki was actually beginning to shake as horrible images came to his mind. He needed to stay with Tohru, but he wanted to go look for the cat, too.

"Don't worry, I'll go look for him. I'm sure he's fine." Tokino didn't wait for objections, just took off again. Momiji chasing after, yelling for her to wait up. He stopped to tell Yuki and Haru to take care of the passed out Tohru, then was gone as well. Haru looked down at Yuki as Tohru began to groan. "Do you think anything could have survived that?" he asked.

"I hope so."

"Uh huh."

"I mean for Honda san's sake."

"Sure you do."

s

Tokino made it to Kyou's side as he landed in the middle of the kill zone. His head was still spinning from the fight and magical discharge. He half stumbled, half walked to meet her half way. He was clutching at one arm which dangled limp at his side and blood was crusting on his face, but otherwise he seemed okay. Tired, but okay. She smiled reassuringly and stepped up to begin healing him when he frowned and motioned with his head behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Momiji, wheezing from the effort to catch up with her.

"I...knew it...you...you're really..., ugh runs to fast." was his lame finish. Kyon laughed a little. It was kinda funny how his thoughts were randomly jumping about. Momiji got his lungs working again and came to stand a few feet away. He watched Tokino begin healing Kyon, her hands glowing. "That book isn't just a story. You really did all those things, you've been to all those places. You're the drifter, aren't you?" he smiled, proud of himself.

"Not any more." Kyon smiled back as a gash in his lip closed up.

s

Just outside the blast zone, Frill was examining a small dart. Slowly she turned it this way and that. The liquid inside shifted with each movement. "I really should have found out what this does. Don't you think so Silk?" The girl at her side didn't answer, instead she continued to stare out at the people just out of reach. "Now we need a test subject. This should teach us to steal things we know nothing about, especially when there is only one and we can't synthesize more." she didn't sound all that educated to Silk, but the girl knew better than to say so. "Here you go. I'll even let you chose the one you want. I'm so generous to you. You're so lucky I found you." Frill handed over the dart and watched as Silk loaded it in the rifle the girl held. Silk studied her choices, made her decision, and fired.

s

Momiji was just about to ask one of many burning questions he had, when Kyon lept forward and shoved him away. "Master!" Tokino sounded horrified and Momiji had a good idea of why. Kyon stood before him, slowly he brought a hand up to pull out what looked like a tranquillizer dart from his own neck. As the dart fell from his fingers, the drug from it pumped through his veins with each beat of his heart. Each vein became strikingly visible against paling skin as it spread. Kyou fell to his knees pain etched on his features. He wrapped his arms around himself and started to shake, biting his newly healed lip to keep from screaming.

Suddenly, the back of his shirt twitched and bulged. "I know this. Not again, oh god, it hurts." He flung his arms wide and arched his back and screamed. Neither Momiji or Tokino could do anything but watch as the fabric ripped apart. In a spray of blood the wings erupted from his flesh. Kyou's scream turned silent, blood spilled from his lips and tears ran down his face. As the emergence ended, he flopped over on his hands and knees, mumbling to himself. Tokino was by his side now and Momiji entered hearing range. He shook at the words and started to cry himself when Kyou's arms gave out.

"I can stop the pain if I will it all away. Just will it all away. I will it all away."

"It's okay, I'm right here Master." Tokino pulled him close and cradled his head in her lap. The dark grey wings stretched out once then drooped under their own weight. They were useless, too small for flight, too big to support themselves. They were trembling as Tokino stroked her Masters hair.

"It's almost over. They'll be gone soon." she tried to sooth.

"What do you mean 'gone'? This has happened before?" Momiji couldn't imagine such a thing.

"You'll see. They never last long, but the scars never seem to go away." Tokino wasn't looking at him. She was staring off into a far away place, long ago. True to her word the wings were losing their feathers. The red stained grey slowly fluttering to the dirt. The flesh and bone beneath them was turning to ash before their eyes, until nothing was left but large open wounds. Kyou was panting now, and Momiji wondered when his own body had moved to the olders side. Kyou seemed grateful for the hand to hold as Tokino ignored his other wounds to work on the holes in his back.

s

Frill turned away a frown on her face. "That wasn't as interesting as I had hoped it would be. I had been looking forward to some new kind of poison. Let's go home Silk. I have more important things to do than waste my time here." More important indeed. The council should have discovered her last little surprise by now. They were probably blubbering to Deva's maid as she transported herself and little Silk back to the fortress. The useless, old fools had no idea of just what Deva really thought of them. Even the other three were stupid enough to think they held some importance with their leader. They would all soon learn the truth. She just had to wait a little bit longer, just until they got the relic, and with it the gate, then she would assume her rightful place.

s

"I felt bad about it, I mean all the housework is supposed to be my responsibility. So, Kyou-kun said I could make it up to him by learning how to defend myself so he wouldn't have to worry about me so much. He's been teaching me himself!" Tohru finished her explanation. When she had finally come out of her faint, the two boys had questioned her about her performance earlier. Apparently, Kyon had been doing some of the household cleaning, despite Tohru's protests that it was her job.

Just as she finished answering their inquiries, Momiji and Tokino appeared, guiding an limping and exhausted looking Kyou. He didn't look like he would be able to stand much longer, but both his companions were too short to be of any real help. Tohru was up and moving forward to offer her shoulder when she remembered she couldn't. She came up short of actually grabbing on to him and instead gave him a pleading look. He smiled at her and patted her on the head. "Thank for the thought," he said as he stumbled by, making his way toward the house.

Yuki watched the pathetic scene before him and felt slightly guilty for not being the one to go look for him. He got up and grabbed one of his cousins' arms and slung it over his shoulder. Haru followed suit a second later on the other side.

"You are one lucky cat," the younger commented, "Come on, lets get you inside."

"Funny, and here I would have thought you'd be happy to be rid of me." Kyou's words were dripping with sarcasm.

"Just because I don't like having you around doesn't mean I want you dead. Besides, I've gotten used to having you around, who else am I suppose to beat up." Yuki answered him.

"How charming. Now I see why all the girls are after you."

"Shut up or you can drag yourself home."

Tohru smiled happily as she followed behind them, listening to their banter. She still had no clue what had happened but everyone was safe and if she didn't know any better she would have to say that Kyon and Yuki were getting along. For the time being anyway. Momiji saw it too and wondered how long it would last. He knew that as soon as everyone was settled questions would be asked. He was curious to know how Kyon would get out of it. He looked over to were Tokino was standing, she would have some explaining to do herself, but the spot was empty. Tokino had left.

* * *

Omake

Cagey Intentions Pt 3

Okay, there was no way the cat was getting out now. Akito was sure of it. The door itself was made out of six inch thick metal, the wall had steel plating and he had the barred window reinforced that same way just to be safe.

"Well, go on. Get in." he yelled.

Kyon sighed and rolled his eyes before entering. Akito slammed the door hard enough to rattle the ground.

"You're not escaping this time." he said with finality.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Akito jumped at the voice behind him. He spun around to see...Kyon, just standing there as if it was normal to be standing there.

"But you, in there,...how?" Akito was flustered now. The cat could teleport! That wasn't possible!

"There is a sliding door in the back. I have to go now, finals and all that." and once again the cat walked away, leaving god to stare after his back.

J-notes

Actually, in this case, it's more like cat-notes. All the information on normal, everyday house cats is true. Leaks, garlic, and onions can and do cause anemia. The severity of the case is dependent on the individual cat. Just as grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs, so please don't feed these items to your pets. For more information on foods you shouldn't fed your pets, please speak with your local veterinarian.

Now, for the real j-notes. Yes, there is a legend about Nekomata. It goes to say that after living for ten years, cats will gain magic powers, grow to 1meter in size, gain an extra tail, and can speak in languages understood by humans. Normally they were pretty benign, but on occasion they would get angry with someone for one reason or another. Supposedly, they would manipulate corpses of your relatives to drive you nuts. The only way to appease them is to 1. Provide a feast for them. 2. Beg forgiveness for your transgression.. 3. Essentially, you bow down to their every wish until they are bored with you. In order to prevent cats from turning into the Nekomata, they would cut off kittens tails. I think the Japanese Bobtail came into being because the cats were tired of getting their tails cut off, so just didn't grow them anymore, but that's just my thoughts on the matter. As for whether or not this has anything to do with the cat in Fruits Basket? I don't think so, but it's always fun to explore all the options.

Tokino's rudeness - No matter where you live it would be considered rude to just invite yourself for dinner. In Japan, where you have to offer a beverage at least three times before your guest will except it even if their really thirsty, it would be especially ill-mannered.

Japanese Word of the Day

Sono muri desu - That is impossible

Hateshinai - Endless (as in writing this fic is beginning to seem endless)


	13. My Superhuman Might

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: I decided to try something a little bit different with this chapter. Most of the story with be told in flashbacks from certain characters. As such I refer to them by their given names instead of the names some of you may be more familiar with. More specifically Uo-chan and Hana-chan, just in case anyone reading this had forgotten their proper names. Uo Arisa and Hana Saki. The diary segment is referencing Saiyuki(first two seasons, I didn't care much for the third and fourth).

Title: Kryptonite by Three Doors Down

* * *

While I have met more then one goddess in my life, I must say that I've never met a bodhisattvas before. For someone called the Merciful Goddess, Kannon is one of the most self-centered, egotistical beings I have ever encountered. Everything she? does seems to be for her...IT'S amusement. Yet, for all that Kannon infuriates me, I am thankful for the help. Because of Kannon the cat's spirit is no longer torn. It is no longer in pain and I can feel it's strength and power growing. I was even able to speak with him, to learn the truth. It has renewed my desire to return to my world, to my family. If for no other reason then to put things left unfinished to rights. But that will have to wait, at least until I get the hang of this telekinetic thing I seemed to developed. My traveling companions don't appear to find it amusing when they and their belongings begin to float off and being on the wrong end of Sanzo's banishing gun isn't something I want a repeat of. – Excerpt from Turning Tides. The Drifters Diary.

s

They had been Generals once. Eight of the most fierce warriors under direct command of Deva himself. He had hand picked them from the fires of a hellish nightmare. The last of the their people, a small clan of peaceful villagers. Fear had seen the Wolf Clan to the brink of extinction and Deva had rescued them. He saw their potential and trained them. Sent to the far reaches of possibility, taking whole worlds under their reign in his name. Their time on these distant planes had aged them, however, and now they were old while Deva remained young. In their age came the desire for youth, but with each passing day it became more apparent that death was near.

Not only was it near, but it had help. Geri covered Romm's lifeless body with a sheet from the bed. Judging by the mess in the room the old man had put up a fight. With Romm gone, they were four and made even more aware of their rapid decline. He turned to the others at the sound of shuffling footsteps. Rem moved forward to his brothers bedside.

"Freki, Lycaon, Hati, and now my brother. This cannot be allowed to continue, Deva will hear us out if we must break down his door. It is his responsibility to do so," he stated, the anger clear in his voice.

"He appointed us his council and now will not speak with us, his once most trusted generals," Fen frowned as he surveyed the blood stained walls. "His precious 'Pillars' grow bloodthirsty while the fallen god runs free and our strength and lives wain."

"We must claim the relic and with it eternal youth and life, before we join our brethren in eternal slumber instead."

"Stand down Skol. The Pillars continue to fail our lord. Soon Deva will become aware of this and tighten their leashes as punishment. Both Jarvis and Legion came back empty handed, and Frill wasted an opportunity over her own frivolous whims. Surely, even they will feel his wrath."

"Do not be so sure. Deva has not excepted anyone into his chambers since we were forced to exile in this purgatory," Skol spat back, "and it can only be one of the Pillars doing this. The question is whether or not they do so by their own free will, or by Deva's?"

"Neither the Guardian of the Northern Pillar nor the Eastern sustained any injury in the last battle. Send them out again," was Fen's only reply.

"Why not the third Pillar? I'm certain this is the doing of her little pet. If Frill goes up against the Drifter on her own surely she would not survive." Geri considered.

"She would not go alone, even if commanded to do so. I do agree with you that this is her doing. The Guardian of the Western Pillar is nothing if not an opportunist, but she is smarter then that." Fen said. "It is better that we remaining few keep her close, under strict supervision for the time being, and the Guardian of the Southern Pillar is still in recovery from the last encounter. Send Legion and Jarvis. If for no other reason then to atone for their previous failure." With that said Fen left the room and the last of his people.

s

'Oh, shit!' is what Tohru would have thought if Tohru was capable of such thoughts. The reason for such a thought was currently getting back up amongst the rubble of the temple wall. She could hear Uo-chan cursing outloud from just in front of her and Hana-chan was holding her a bit tighter then before. But that wasn't what was on Tohru's mind, because it was all just too much for her to handle right now. So, instead she focused her mind on inane things, like wondering how Kyou was able to move around with so many tails and not get all tangled up in them? Or how the rings on the ends of each tail stayed on despite how large they were in comparison to the circumference of the appendages they were encircling? And how could his feet be on fire without burning him?

She watched as Kyou shook his head to clear it, then looked out though the hole in the wall, his ears flattening to his skull. All in all, it wasn't a bad form she figured. Certainly it was a vast improvement on the half dead, rotting form he used to take when the ward was removed. She compared his current form to the other one she had seen once so long ago, defiantly much better.

"Legion you freak! Fight like a man!" Kyou yelled out the hole, then charged back into the fight. Tohru couldn't hear the white haired mans reply, but she could hear Arisa mumble 'like your one to talk' under her breath. Tohru thought it was impressive that Kyou could speak so clearly, what with the sabertooth fangs and all. As Saki ushered her into a back room and passed the terrified priest chanting sutra, Tohru thought back on how she had ended up here. Hiding in one of Kyoto's temples from soul sucked zombies as Kyou fought for his life against their creator.

s

"_The paper your class rep is handing out is the itinerary for next weekends trip, so don't lose it. We will be meeting at the station at seven o'clock sharp. If your not there by then we leave without you." Shiraki said as everyone was putting away the schedule for their trip to Kyoto. __Tohru couldn't be more excited. She had never really been to many places outside the city and Kyoto was such a romantic place._ _The next several days went by in a blur for her and she was a more then a little surprised at how fast time went by. _

_One minute she was waiting in longing anticipation and the next Yuki was reminding her to pack for the next day. It wasn't entirely her fault for forgetting, a lot had happened in between then and the day of the trip, but still she was almost panicked when she realized her error. At least she wasn't alone in her absent-mindedness, Kyou had forgotten as well. Not that it mattered now because the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the gaggle of highschoolers was making it hard to escape the souvenir shop._

_When the crowd of bodies finally spit Tohru out she spotted a figure waiting for her. She waved to catch his attention as she made her way to him._

"_Kyou-kun, didn't you want a souvenir too?" she asked._

"_I'll wait until it's less, uh, overwhelming in there," he said as he looked at the group of classmates and strangers alike. Tohru noted then that there were a lot of girls bumping into one another. That explained Yuki's conspicuous absence as well as Kyou reticence. _

"_That would probably be for the best, huh?" _

"_There's always tomorrow anyway. Did you find what you were looking for?" Around this time the stray that had been sitting in his lap got huffy and stormed off in a snit. Tohru tried to call after it and dig out a handkerchief to wipe the bloody scratch it had left on Kyou's cheek. "Leave her be. She came on her own and left on her own," he said as he waved off her worry. _

"_Are you sure?" Tohru asked looking in the direction the cat had disappeared to._

"_So what did you get?" Kyou changed the subject. Tohru felt her face grow warm in sudden embarrassment over the ornament kit in her bag. Kyou gave her a knowing look and shook his head before reaching into his pocket._

"_Speaking of souvenirs...here. I thought of you when I saw this." he handed over a simple looking pendant. The small red stone shone in the morning sun as it hung from it's plain silver chain. For all it's simplicity it was rather elegant. Tohru wondered what about the beautiful charm had made him think of her. Kyou watched her stutter in surprise a while, then took pity on her and looped the necklace over her head for her. He whisper softly in her ear as he did so._

"_Quam sancta, quam serena, quam benigma, quam amoena castitatis lilium."_

"_What did that mean?" her face was on fire, she just knew it. Kyou back away and grinned evilly._

"_I'll tell you later. Maybe. Hey, you hungry? I think there's a eatery around here somewhere. We got still have a bit of free time before we have to meet up with our groups."_

"_Yes, that sounds good."_

_They ended up at a café that happened to serve really good cakes. Tohru knew they were good because Kyou bought them some. It had surprised her that he would openly eat something like that, but he just laughed it off telling her it was just a cake, no big deal. As they returned to the check in point for their group tours Tohru was accosted by Uo-chan and Hana-chan. _

"_And where have you two been, off by yourselves? Hm, Tohru? Tohru?..."_

s

"Tohru!"

"Wha, what?" Tohru was brought out of her revery by the divide sliding open. Her friends had moved in front of her as a shield, but it wasn't necessary. It was just the temple priest trying to find a better place to hide. The poor man looked terrified, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.

"Demons! Real demons! They're not suppose to be real!" he babbled, though whether to them or to himself the girls didn't know. Despite the uncertainty about who the priest was talking to, it was very obvious who he was referring to, and Saki was more then aware that Tohru was becoming upset with him. She could easily feel Tohru's distress and the beginnings of annoyance, a strange thing for her docile friend. Saki was a little bit surprised by how rapidly it was growing into actual anger. Tohru didn't get angry, she got upset, frustrated, and sad, but she never got angry. At least not in the time that Saki had known her.

Tohru was changing right before their eyes and both Arisa and herself could see it. It was a slow evolution for the normally timid and shy girl. While still the same kind hearted and gentle soul, Tohru was becoming more outspoken and sure of herself. She seemed to have gained a confidence that hadn't been there before. As loathed as either of them was to admit it, Tohru was growing up. The catalyst for the change, Saki knew, but was having a hard time coming to terms with it. She shuddered as she thought back on the day before when she could no longer turn a blind eye on the matter.

s

_Saki had been accompanying Arisa in window shopping next to the store where Tohru had disappeared into a throng of highschool tourist. Keeping a close surveillance of her dearest friends waves, she had been overcome with worry when Tohru's presence had vanished from her mind. Reaching out with her power she scanned the crowd, hoping the girl was maybe in the company of one the Sohma boys. Her heart leapt when she found Yuki, but Kyou seemed to have winked out of existence, again. The last time she had been unable to find the boy, he had been missing for a week and come back acting strangely. Grabbing Arisa by the sleeve she headed out with every intention of finding the two of them._

"_Hey, Hana! If you wanted to go somewhere else all you had to do is say so, jeez."_

"_Tohru-chan and Kyou Sohma are gone," she couldn't think of any other way to put it. She focused on finding them. Something was going to happen on this trip. She didn't know what, but it wasn't going to be good, of that she was sure. Arisa pulled back, bringing them both to a halt._

"_Wait, what do you mean gone? If he is doing anything perverted to her I'll skin him alive. Let me at him!" She began to stalk off in a random direction, but Saki grabbed her arm again. _

"_No, I mean that I can no longer pick up on their waves. It's like they don't exist anymore." She watched the color drain from Arisa face. The girls eyes widened and rushed back toward the crowd of their peers, asking if anyone had seen were the two had gone. It was after half an hour of running around frantically searching that the couple turned up. They were walking side by side conversing amicably as though it was no big deal. Her heart slowing down Saki realized that, for them it wasn't a big deal. Her thoughts were interrupted by Arisa's shout._

"_And were have you been? We've been looking all over for you."_

_Tohru smiled winningly and held out a carry box as she answered her friend._

"_We we're hungry, so we went the cutest little café for a snack. Look, we brought back a piece of cake for both of you," and suddenly the crisis was forgotten, just like that. Tohru had brought cake. Arisa had opened her mouth to berate Tohru, but Saki shoved passed her and began digging into the box. _

"_How kind of you, you really shouldn't have." Despite her words Saki was already eating her piece. Tohru smiled even wider then before and Arisa just shook her head. It was while Arisa was trying to wrangle her share out of Saki's hands that Kyou was beckoned away by a small group of girls. Saki only paid minimal attention, until Arisa spoke up._

"_I wonder what the Prince Yuki Fan Club want's with orange top. They aren't trying to recruit him, are they?" Saki looked over distracted and consequently Arisa won her cake._

"_Perhaps they decided that he was more attainable then the lofty Yuki Sohma." She tuned in on the small pack's aura and tried to decipher their intentions. Curiosity was getting the better of Arisa and Tohru, so they all began to move in a little closer. The conversation was now clearer, but they had missed the first have and thus were confused by Kyou's response. _

"_I really wouldn't know, just cause we're cousins doesn't mean we're close. Although, now that I think about it all the Yuki's I've ever met __**were**__ girls. No wait, there was that one guy, but he was gay." Kyou's tone wavered as he finished his proclamation. Unfortunately, the girls weren't the only ones to hear this. Just as he had spoke, Yuki and Kakeru had walked around the corner, heading toward the assigned meeting point. They had heard just as much as Saki and the others had and Yuki was not pleased. Eyes filling with cold fury, and yet keeping his aura in check Yuki went in for the kill._

_Kyou, sensing the dark intention if not the fighting aura, dropped into a low horse stance, catching the arm that had been about the hit him hard in the head. He yanked the arm overbalancing his opponent. As the body behind him was forced forward, he delivered an elbow strike to his attackers middle. Sweeping the captured arm back towards it's owner, he brought the arm up from the mans gut, slamming the heel of his palm into the others chin. Twisted and pushed, the momentum sent the attacker, head over heels, flying into the brick retaining wall of a decorative flowerbed. _

_As the person flew by him, Kyou took in their stunned features and swore loudly at the sound Yuki made on impact. His cousin dropped to the ground on his neck and shoulders, unconscious. There was an uneasy silence as their classmates digested what they had just witnessed. Kyou knelt down next to Yuki's prone form and gave him a little poke._

"_Feh, really. Unconscious after a little tap like that? And you call yourself a martial artist." he poked Yuki again and the other gave a faint groan._

_Over with a fast growing number of their peers Tohru, Arisa and Saki stared on in mixed wonder and shock. That had certainly been unexpected. Arisa was the first to speak._

"_What the hell just happened? I mean those were some wicked moves and all, but I don't think I've ever seen Orange top fight back, before. I didn't even think he could lay a hand on the prince." _

"_Kyou-kun has improved a lot," Tohru supplied. She sounded as if she didn't know wether to be happy or upset. Saki took the time to study the two boys and came to a startling realization._

"_Kyou Sohma was merely burdened by a lack a self-confidence in his own ability to defeat Yuki Sohma. That lack has recently changed into an abundance," Saki couldn't believe she had missed it before. It was quite obvious._

"_You mean to say that he couldn't beat him because, he didn't think he could before?" Arisa asked. She couldn't have been more incredulous if a flying pig had come up to her and smacked her in the face with a rubber chicken._

"_That is correct," Saki confirmed. She watched her friends face go from shocked to exasperated._

"_That's just stupid." Arisa marched up to Kyou who was still poking Yuki awake and slammed her fist unto the top of his head. Kyou hands moved to cover his abused scalp and turned an indignant face to her. _

"_Oww! What was that for, woman?" He yelled._

"_For being an idiot! Here I had given you more credit than that."_

"_What the hell are you talking about? What is your problem?"_

"_You are! Want to make something of it?" They would have gone on and on if it wasn't for a student who, concerned that Yuki hadn't woken up yet, had brought Shiraki-sensei. The gathering of students all parted like the Red Sea as the teacher charged though. _

"_What the hell is going on here? What happened to him?" she ran to Yuki's side checking his pulse. It was steady and he didn't appear to have any major head or neck wounds so Mayuko set to righting him. Kyou and Arisa froze in mid argument and turned to the watch her adjust Yuki into a more comfortable position. _

"_Oops, I kinda forgot about him." Kyou looked sheepishly away._

"_Yeah, me too. He's like that. Ya know I don't really think about him when he's not there." Arisa shugged in way of an explanation. Yuki was beginning to twitch, but still not waking._

"_Great. Just great. Has anyone called for an ambulance yet?" Shiraki-sensei looked to each of the students surrounding them in turn. She got a bunch of blank stares in return. Tohru gave a little squeak and began to rout for her cell phone in her purse. Kyou waved to her to stop._

"_Don't bother, the blow to the kidney's will have him pissing blood for about a week, but other then that he'll be fine. It's not like I hit him that hard. See he's already coming around."_

_True enough Yuki's eyes opened and he tried to lift his head. He was just in time to hear Shiraki-sensei question Kyou on his admittance of guilt._

"_You hit him?" she asked incredulously._

"_He attacked me first, I was just defending myself. Besides I warned him before not to try to attack me from behind. If I had known it was him I would have held back even more then I did." Kyou huffed. _

"_Held back? You call that holding back?!" shrieked one of the girls who had originally dragged Kyou off in the first place. Yuki grabbed his head and moaned at the sound of her voice._

"_Well, yeah. I always adjust to the strength level of weaker opponents. Otherwise it would just be pointless overkill. How was I supposed to know he couldn't take what he can dish out. It's not my fault he hasn't had any impact resistance training." Kyou finished in a mumble to himself._

s

"Please, just shut up!" the sound of sweet, innocent, naive Tohru yelling at the cowering temple priest snapped Saki out of her reverie. For the first time ever Saki saw Kyoko in Tohru and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Either way, it was all Kyou's fault, of that she was certain. Yuki was too much like Arisa and herself to have brought out such fire in Tohru. Saki shook slightly as she watched Arisa try to calm Tohru and the priest down. 'Tohru doesn't need us to protect her anymore. What am I supposed to do now? What are we supposed to do now? Why am I so upset? I should be happy, but we are all so used to depending on Tohru-chan's dependency. Do the others see it too, I wonder?'

Thinking about the others Saki became aware of their current states and the terror she felt coming off of them forced her back to the present situation. She stood abruptly and ran back the way they had just come from. Yuki was in trouble, a lot more so then he had been yesterday, and Kyou was becoming upset. She came to a stop outside, Arisa and Tohru practically running into her. Two others were converging on the same spot she could sense Yuki at.

"Hana-chan what's the matter?" Tohru knelt next to her.

"We should get back inside, Hana. It's dangerous out here." Arisa grabbed her arm and started to lift her to her feet.

"They are in danger. And there is nothing we can do." she said.

"What do you mean, we are all in danger." Arisa stated. Almost as if to prove her point the earth shook beneath them. Somewhere in the streets below, past the wooded area surrounding the temple a building had collapsed. Saki stood on tembling legs and stared past the torii gate and down the steps.

"Kyou Sohma, Yuki Sohma, and Kakeru Manabe. Be safe." she prayed.

Kakeru stared in horror as Yuki's body dangled from the white haired psyco's grip. The ledge the guy was standing on was on top of a four story building. Kakeru had heard the rumor that Kyou had leapt out of the second floor of their school as if it was nothing, but he didn't think Yuki was on as good terms with gravity as his cousin. The street around him had finally been deserted by general populace with the exception of the people who were passed out on the ground. He and Yuki had been dragging the bodies to safer locations when Yuki had been grabbed. The boy wasn't completely better from the beating he had taken yesterday.

Why he had attacked his cousin, Kakeru didn't know, he hadn't really been paying that much attention, but he did know it had been a stupid idea on his friends part. Now it was costing him. Yuki had been slower today then usual because of it. The unexpected early wake up wasn't helping...

s

"_I swear, I didn't know the squirrel would explode!" The shout startled half the room awake and blurry eyes scanned the room for the reason behind the distress. Kakeru blinked at Yuki's cousin as his heartrate slowed back to normal. The boy was wide awake and sitting ramrod straight on his futon. He rubbed his eyes and when he looked back at the orange haired boy, Kyou's eyes weren't glowing red anymore._

_Most of the boys grumbled a bit then went back to sleep after seeing that it was, in fact, four in the morning. Kakeru, however, watched as Kyou stretched out, then got out of bed. Without so much as an apology the other grabbed a change of clothes then left the room. When Kakeru woke up next it was a far more reasonable hour, but despite the fact that he hadn't woken from before, Yuki was still doing a good impression of a zombie. _

_Kyou walked in about the time the walking dead that was Yuki, ran face first into the door frame. "Aa, can you fix him?" Someone asked him. Kyou looked from his cousin, who was still trying to walk though the doorpost, and back to the boy who had spoken._

"_What do you expect me to do about him? He's always like this in the morning." _

_Eventually, Yuki snapped out of it and the day got to a proper start. After yesterday, everyone was hoping for a little less excitement today. Yuki hadn't needed to go to the hospital after all and as far as anyone knew just had a really nasty bruise and a bump on the head. Kakeru had gone with him back to the hotel and watched him guzzle water for a hour. Yuki had given him a dirty look when he asked if Kyou's prognostic about the bloody urine was accurate. He seemed just fine to Kakeru today, aside from the walking coma anyway. _

_Now, they were lose on the streets of Kyoto and the day seemed to be shaping up nicely._

"_Hey, what's going on over there?" he pointed over to a large gathering that was moving down the street. A man with short white hair was leading them. "Some kind of parade?"_

_The man came to a stop in front of them and looked Yuki up and down before speaking._

"_You are not the one I seek. Close, but most definitely not."_

"_Excuse me?" Yuki asked. The man had already turned to his followers and ignored the two of them._

"_Go! Find him and bring him before me. I don't care how or in what shape." he ordered and the men and women behind him flooded past them at incredible speed. Kakeru didn't know what to say or do. The man was turning back toward them when Yuki latched on to his wrist and pulled him away._

"_Hey man, what's going on? Why the hurry?" he yelp._

"_I don't know, but I doubt it's anything good." Yuki came to a halt at the sound of screaming. The followers were tearing throught the street, shoving past some and grabbing at others. Mostly the ones in their schools uniform. _

"_Shit!" Kakeru said. Yuki moved into action, pulling one of the mans followers away from a girl in their class. Not about to sit back and watch the action, Kakeru ran into the thick of things. By now, many of the other tourist and shopkeepers were running around in terror as the mob went on with their assigned task. Yuki's eyes widened as he took a good look at one of the attackers. She had the same glassy-eyed look as the soldiers in the woods. Kakeru watched as Yuki's expression changed and moved in to see if he needed help himself. Perhaps his injury was acting up. _

"_Hey team leader, what's happening?" he yelled out._

"_I know this. I've dealt with these people before." Yuki seemed to be talking more to himself then to Kakeru, but he accepted the answer all the same._

"_Friends of the family, then?"_

"_No, that's not what I meant. I mean I've dealt with people that were like this before. They aren't doing this under their own will. Their being controlled by someone. She said his name was Legion."_

"_You mean the guy who eyed you? What a stupid name." Kakeru barely managed to get that out before he was bowled over by a stampede of pedestrians trying to get away from the chaos. There were more people coming from further up the street and around the corner. He got out of the way of the new herd and turned to Yuki._

"_She? So tell me is 'she' hot?" he waggled his eyebrows at his friend._

"_She is twelve and acts way too suspicious. I think she has something to do with all this. When we get back I'll have to have Kisa bring Tokino over. The little brat got away without an explaination the last time this happened." Yuki informed him as they headed in the direction the mob had been running from._

"_Tokino? That name sounds familiar." Yuki must not have heard him because he didn't respond. As they rounded the corner the sight that greeted them was rather unexpected. The street was littered with bodies, the original mob and student alike. Standing in the middle of it all was the man with white hair and Kyou. The boy seemed frozen in place, his face having drained of all color. At first Yuki and Kakeru worried that the man had somehow done to Kyou what he had done to the others, but as he moved forward and Kyou began to visibly shake, it became apparent that the boy was just scared. Kakeru was under the impression that not much could get that reaction from that particular Sohma and wondered what the man had done to cause it. Judging from his features Yuki was wondering the same thing._

_The man was close enough to reach out to Kyou now, and he moved to back away, tripping over one of the bodies. The man, Legion, smiled viciously and began to reach for his prize. Many things happened at once. Yuki started towards them, every intention on rescuing his cousin, a little girl appeared dropping down from the sky, and Kyou suddenly lunged forward, a feral look on his face. Kakeru had been too far away to hear what it was Legion had said to Kyou to cause the reaction, but he had seen him speak. _

_Whatever it had been it had forced the other boy into action. Yuki stopped running as Kyou took a swipe at Legions face, growling like a wild animal. As Kakeru caught up with him, their voices became clearer._

"_Come now my little pet. You know better then to claw at me. I'm afraid I'll have to punish you after I've brought you home." Legion was saying. Kyou actually arched his back and hissed. The little girl shook her head in dismay then took off. _

"_Hm, it won't do me any good to get maimed before then so I'll just have to bring in more reenforcements." he raised his hand into the air, "Come to me, my children." and from out of the bodies on the ground a faint light ascended into the air. The people began to move, raising up like, well like legions of the undead. 'So that's why he's named Legion.' Kakeru kept the thought to himself. _

"_Don't just stand there. Help me out here." Yuki shouted at him. Kakeru looked up and saw Yuki was trying to take down the new mob. This only seemed to be drawing some of their attentions on to him. As Kakeru was punching out a man in a suit who was going for Yuki's back, a shot rang out though the air. Both turned toward it and saw a police officer, glazed eyes tracking Kyou. The officer fired again, but the bullet never made it to the target. Kyou moved in a way that Kakeru didn't know was possible for a human._

_The officer took aim again, this time waiting until Kyou was leaping to avoid a different person, and fired again. In the middle of a mid-air backflip Kyou couldn't dodge, and Kakeru stared in horror. The bullet hit something, but it wasn't Kyou. A strange orange light suddenly flared around the boy. The spot the projectile had hit rippled out in an octagonal pattern. The little girl skidded to a stop on the other side of the street, Tohru right behind her._

"_Tokino!" Yuki shouted at her. "What do you think you're doing, bringing Tohru here?"_

"_So that's Tokino, huh." _

"_This isn't the time or place for this, Kakeru."_

_Tokino was ignoring them and Yuki shoved away another zombie person and headed closer to the girls, Kakeru hot on his heels. A loud, crackling noise, like birds chirping stilled all movement._

"_You have to do it now Tohru! You're the only one here who can bring him out of the Nekoken! If you don't, something really bad might happen to those innocent people!" Tokino pushed Tohru forward. Kakeru looked back at Kyou and saw the crackling electricity forming around one of his hands. The whites of his eyes had completely disappeared behind blood-red iris'. In the distance Legion was laughing._

"_Yes, my pet. Kill them, kill them all. Relinquish their souls completely to me!"_

_Kyou bent forward, readying to strike out at the people slowly surrounding him. Tohru ran passed them and wrapped her arms around his waist._

"_I'm sorry, Kyou-kun." and Kyou's eyes widened as they returned to normal, then he exploded. Kakeru felt his mouth drop open in shock, then his eyes were covered and he was forcefully turned away. As he tried to free himself from Yuki's grip, he could hear the sounds of fighting, someone screaming, another explosion, and a squak. Then he was released to see a very much alive Kyou pushing Tohru towards him._

"_Take her out of here!" Behind him the maniacal laughing was growing louder._

"_How kind of you! You remembered how much I love a good chase!" _

_Kyou slid to a stop and looked at them, then over his shoulder. Tohru made as if to go to him, stopping when he raised his hand._

"_Go, find your friends. I'll be alright now. I know what I have to do," and with that he walked back the way they had just come._

_Yuki found Tohru's friends a block away waiting for her return. They had found a temple just a quick jog down the road and were going to hide there until everything calmed down. Kakeru was about to follow when he noticed Yuki heading back. _

"_Where do you think your going, Prince?" Uotani shot after him._

"_We may not get along, but I'm not about to let that idiot fight by himself," Yuki didn't turn back around after that and was soon out of sight. The girls going in the opposite direction, left Kakeru to decide for himself what he would do. He dallied about unsure until the first loud boom, then ran after Yuki. The team leader needed help and as a defender of justice he wasn't going to sit around twittling his thumbs. When he arrived on scene, however, it wasn't so graceful an entrance. Before he could announce his presence he was knocked back and into a building by Yuki's flailing body._

_Yuki hadn't been the only one blown away by whatever it was that Legion had done. Kyou toppled by a few feet away. He wasn't getting up._

"_What's the matter?" Legion walked up to the prone form and smiled down at him. Kakeru hefted Yuki off and shook him awake. Yuki began to climb to his feet and they both turned back to see how Kyou was doing. Yuki began to shiver and took a step forward but the vertigo took over and it was all Kakeru could do to keep him from falling again. Legion was sitting on Kyou, leaning over him, and pinning his arms above his head._

"_Why not call forth the demon, like you did last time? I can't wait to see him again," Legion bent forward and ran his tongue up Kyou's face. _

"_If that's what you really want. But you should know, some things have changed since our last encounter. You may not like us anymore," Kyou kept his voice level. Then, as his classmates watched, whispered something under his breath. Legion found himself airborne, as thick white smoke filled the area. From out of the dense cloud came a creature Kakeru had never before even dreamed about. _

_It stood about the height of a male westerns shoulder and was shaped roughly like a cougar. Sleek orange fur covered it's body and he couldn't keep track of the lashing tails to properly count them. Wreathes of bright flame danced hypnotically about it's ankles, creating an intense heat that didn't so much as singe the beasts fur._

"_Are you two okay?" It asked. Despite the dual voice it emitted, Kakeru could make out Kyou's voice quite clearly. _

"_For the moment," Kakeru answered, then taking a good look at Yuki's shellshocked continence he added, "mostly." Though for how long he couldn't say. While they had been staring in wonder at the creature the zombie's had begun to surround them. A close glance at Yuki showed no improvement from before._

"_Hey, ratboy! Snap out of it! I need you alert." Yuki shook his head to clear it at the insult and glowered at the animal. It ignored him, choosing in stead to dive out of the way of a blast of light that Legion had just discharged. Kakeru became aware of the situation again._

"_Cover your ears!" the beast shouted and coming to the conclusion that it was best to do what he was told this time he did just that. For extra measure he also closed his eyes and held his breath. A wave of dizziness washed over him and for a second he thought he would fall down. When the feeling passed he opened his eyes and dropped his hands from his ears. The creature - which since it had first spoken, Kakeru had figured out was Kyou - was facing off against Legion. Around them, scattered on the ground were the mind wiped humans who had been attacking them._

_They weren't getting back up like they had before. In fact, they just weren't getting up now at all. Which was fine as far as Kakeru was concerned._

"_What did you do to them?" he yelled out, but Kyou either didn't hear him or was ignoring him. Probably the latter, seeing as a he had his hands full with Legion. Next to him Yuki ran over to the closest body and check for a pulse. He motioned to Kakeru that the woman was indeed alive. Directly above them something large impacted with a building. A much smaller version of the animal Kyou had turned into fell to the ground, just missing landing on them. As it got up and shook itself off, Kakeru noted the differences. This one had only one tail and was, thankfully, not on fire anywhere._

"_Ouch," it said in the way you do when something happened that doesn't really hurt but should have so you say it anyway. "Hey, you two are alright. You should really get out of here, and while you're at it, take some of these poor souls with. Their cluttering our battle zone." _

"_Uh...okay?" was Kakeru's witting reply. It had a really cute voice, like a young girls. Even with the voice he still thought it weird watching it talk. He supposed it was the fangs, they offset the sweet, precocious little girl image. A bright light covered the area and when it died down the larger cat had disappeared. The boys and the new creature heard the property damage taking place in the distance._

"_Eep, Master!" the smaller cat creature took her leave of them screaming at Legion about cheating._

_Kakeru helped Yuki lift one of the unconscious citizens and gave him a disappointed look._

"_What?" Yuki asked._

"_Why didn't you tell me your cousin could turn into a giant cat demon? It's like that manga I'm reading." before he could finish though, Yuki raised one hand in placation._

"_I didn't know about that. Even if I did, do you really think it would be something my family would talk openly about?"_

"_No," he reasoned, "I don't suppose you would. All superheroes are suppose to keep their identities secret, aren't they." Yuki just gave him a dirty look and started to drag their new acquisition into a small business and out of the street._

s

Kakeru began to tremble, fear for Yuki and adrenalin coursing though his veins. He wanted to move but was afraid that if he tried anything Legion would let his good friend drop. The freak seemed to be getting some sort of amusement out of watching Yuki's face turn blue and Kyou's apparent inability to do much to help. It was either watch him suffocate or watch him go splat. Behind him Kakeru sensed something moving and his body turned to ice.

A warm breath in his ear whisper "Don't worry. We have everything under control. Just do as I say."

s

Kyou felt the tingle in the back of his mind as Tokino reestablished the link they shared when they were both in what she called 'combat mode'.

'Ready when you are, Master.' she _said_.

'Now.' it was all the warning she got before he jumped the building, knocking Legion back. As expected Yuki slipped from his grasp and plummeted towards the concrete. Oxygen hadn't had time to return to his lungs before it was sucked out of them again in a silent scream of impending death. Then suddenly the world tilted and he was seeing not the fast approaching cement but rather the side of the building he had just fallen from. His body jolted slightly and the arm around his waist held on tighter.

Both he and Kakeru slid off Tokino and hit the ground when she finally landed after some rather impressive leaps. As he rubbed his shoulder and got his breathing back under control, Yuki contemplated that he would have been suffering a lot worse then a bruised joint if he hadn't been caught. A tortured scream that could have been either of the combatants left behind filled the air. Tokino presuaded them to get up with a bump of her head.

"Get moving. The temple where Tohru and the others are hiding is just around the corner."

They started to run off when another cry sounded from above. Tokino swore and crossed their path.

"Never mind. Get on. I'll take you, it'll be faster!" She left no room for discussion on the matter and so both climbed on. Kakeru leaned against Yuki's back, acting as a brace in case he needed the stability. As they bounded through the streets, Kakeru yelled into Yuki's ear.

"You know, considering this animal is actually a little girl, I'm beginning to feel a little bit like some kind of pervert pedophile."

"Thank you so very much for putting the thought in my head. Remind me to show just how much I appreciate your input on this when we aren't in life threatening danger." Judging by Yuki's tone of voice Kakeru had no intention of following the order. Tokino came to a stop at the top of the stairs where the three girls were still heading back to whatever shelter the temple still had to offer. As they slid to their feet from her back, Tokino leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to them.

"Just for future reference, I have really, really good hearing." she gave their horrified looks a wink. Meanwhile, the girls had seen their approach and were running to greet them. Tohru and Arisa both asking questions at the same time. Saki on the other hand went directly to Tokino and gave her a pat on the head.

"You are most definitely not Kyou, but you are. How strange." her words drifted off as her mind focused inward on the puzzle.

"Yes, you're right, it is strange. I have to go now." In the near distance an unnatural storm was forming, comprised mostly of bricks and crown molding from the stores. A couple of street signs thrown in just for added flavor.

"I see. I won't keep you then. Be careful."

"I will." and Tokino dashed away into the storm, which was now hurling the items it had collected. Saki wasn't worried though, the rubble wouldn't come her way. It had a different target then her. She turned back to friends to see Arisa arguing with Kakeru Manabe.

s

"If you idiots had come with us in the first place it wouldn't have been a problem!"

"So we are just supposed to abandon all those people? No way, I'm not like that! As a defender of justice..." he was cut off mid rant by Yuki who clobbered him on the head. Tohru turned to Saki with a pleading look.

"Hana-chan, everyone is fighting. I don't know what to do. And poor Kyou-kun is still out there with that horrible man. He could be seriously hurt." Leave it to Tohru to bring the bickering to a grinding end with a few threatening tears. The yankee left Kakeru to reassure her dearest of companions.

"I'm sure orange top as everything under control. You saw him when he crashed though the wall," she gestured to the damage to prove her point, "It'd take a lot more then what that creepy guy can dish out to stop him." Yuki was startled by her words.

"You saw? When? How do you know that beast is Kyou? It could be anything."

"When you and Justice boy over there didn't follow, I went back to get you. I saw the whole thing, decided you could handle things, so I came back."

"She nearly messed herself in fear when she saw what Kyou had become, so she ran back to hide with us." Saki interpreted.

"Way to make me look bad, Hana-chan."

"It is over." She countered.

"What is?" Kakeru asked. Yuki took a good look around and realized he didn't hear the sounds of conflict anymore. The howling storm was gone, the screams of panic had stopped. Kyoto was silent. Those with him must have noticed to for they had stilled their mouths, and now stood listening for a sign of things to come. The tension was thick enough to jam a chainsaw. Tohru took a few cautious steps to the stairway and froze. She stared down the steps with her hands clutched to her chest and waited.

"Who do you suppose won?" asked Kakeru nervously. Before anyone could start the betting pool Tohru gasped loudly and ran down to the street below.

"Kyou-kun!"

Down below the temple, amongst the chaos of storefronts ripped apart, something was slowly making it's way to the great stone stairs. The flames which had lashing gloriously about it's legs had died down to a feint flicker, no bigger than a candles. The six tails drooped and dragged in the dust and debris. The large beast was covered in blood and appeared to be holding something in it's mouth.

The item it held fell to the ground and rolled away as it raised it's head to eye the group descending from the temple. A small flash of dark light heralded Legions head disappearing into zero space, called back in the hour of his defeat. Kyou didn't care. He never was one for trophies and didn't want Tohru to see it either. Not having the energy to meet them half way, Kyou sat down in the middle of the road and waited for them to come to him.

The summons was wearing off now that he didn't need the cat's help. The shift back to his own body was gentle, a warmth that spread through out him. Behind him the sun was setting on a very confused and traumatized Kyoto. The light of the fading sun caught on his hair making it look like a waterfall of gold as it pooled around his body.

His clothes were a total loss. He had yet to find a pair of pants that fit right and left enough room to survive the transformation. Shirts were just out of the question completely. Tohru sank to her knees by his side and marveled at the cascade of tangerine tresses. The transformation had caused it to grow out to were it had been before he had arrived back in his own world. Meaning it was now somewhere in the proximity of his knees. Being that he was sitting on said knees -and slouching just right to be decent- his hair had pooled on the ground, surrounding him. Tohru gently brushed it away from his face and behind his ear.

He let her hand ghost over his flesh, caressing the scars and marks as she found them. All the while his mind was replaying the events of but a few minutes ago. So many people had been hurt, possibly killed. He didn't know what he would have done if Tohru or even any of those who now came to him, had been lost. He stared up into the haunted twilight sky. A flock of birds moved across his vision as they went about their business, ignoring the affairs of humans.

It was the sign he was looking for. He knew what needed to be done and hoped she would understand. Legion wasn't the only one of Deva's men out there. The others were loose still and Tohru and the rest of his family were in danger as long as he was with them.

"Kyou-kun, are you going to be okay? You weren't hurt, were you?" he could hear the tears in her voice, even as she refused to shed them. He would be fine. None of his injuries would last more then a few minutes, now that he could feel Tokino's presence just behind him. The young girl sat on his other side and without a sound began to heal him as his friends and family watched.

Above them the birds moved farther away, vanishing into the horizon.

"Someone once told me, that watching the birds fly...made them want to go on a journey," he didn't know what made him say it, just the feeling that it was the right thing to say at a time like this.

"Who told you that?" Tohru asked, unwittingly playing her role perfectly.

"I forget." In his mind all the came forth was a blurred and shadowed humanoid form, featureless and nameless.

"We should have been on the train home by now." Yuki said as he joined them in watching the evening cast the world into shades of red. He desperately wished he had some profound words of wisdom, but it was all that he could think to say. Tohru wrapped her small hands around Kyou's forearm, covering the serial number that was tattooed there as she did so. Yuki didn't want to know why it was there. Just like he didn't want to know about the mark of wisdom, a sign of god's chosen ones, that was on Kyou's brow or the scars randomly adoring his body that weren't there before the transformation.

"When will you be leaving?" Tohru finally got up the courage to ask.

"Tonight. When everyone has calmed down and been accounted for. Before anyone has thought of the right questions to ask." He told her. They were all silent, lost in their own thoughts. Then Kakeru stepped up and draped his school jacket over Kyou's shoulders.

"Then we should probably head back to the hotel. Get cleaned up, maybe some rest before you go. I won't ask where or why. Just that you tell our chaperone that you're going, so we don't have to deal with it when you're not ready at the station when it's time for us to head home."

"Thank you, Manabe."

"A man's got to do what a man's got to do."

s

That night as Kyou was heading out, Tohru stopped him in the hall. Noone had asked about his hair, they were all too shook up to really take notice of it, though some were absent-mindedly wondering about it. Tohru, in all her concern for others, had thought of it. She nervously offered up her hand, one of her ribbons dangling limply from it.

"So it doesn't get in your way when you need to see clearly." she explained. Then without waiting for him to take it, she gathered all his hair at the base of his neck and tied it off.

"They were a present from my mother." she swallowed loudly as she said this. Kyou caught the hint and smiled warmly at her.

"I'll be sure to return it to you then. I promise." and then he walked down the hall, and out the door.

* * *

Omake

Cagey Intentions Pt 4

The sliding door had been replaced with a solid wall, the door and window were guaranteed to not budge from their places, and the floor under the tatami mats was cemented over, just to be sure. So what happens. The cat turns out to be a no show. Akito fumed, how dare that monster try to run away. He stormed up the walk way to Kazuma's home, not noticing the extravagent decorations, or the mass amount of people milling about. He pushed past two of the bystanders and into the house.

"What is Akito doing here? I mean, I know they invited him, but I didn't think he would show up." Haru asked his companion. Yuki just shrugged.

"He looked pissed. I hope he doesn't do anything to ruin today. Their both high-strung enough right now."

Akito marched up to the room that he had been directed to when asking the cat's whereabouts. He banged his fist on the door and shouted.

"Just who do you think you are, disobeying my orders! When I tell you to come to me, you do so! When I tell you to jump, you say 'how high'! Now, come out here this minute!"

The door to Kyou's room flew open and the one in question stared out at him.

"Akito, you're here? I didn't think you'd come since you didn't r.s.v.p. Good thing we saved you a seat anyway."

"I came to get you. We are going to the main house and you are going to be a good little monster and rot in your cage."

Kyou's expression darkened at this and Akito finally noticed his manner of dress. Why was the cat wearing ceremonial kimono? He looked kinda flustered and slightly quezy too. Like he was really nervous about something. Of course he was, he should be upset, he was finally going were he belonged; in his cage.

"Look, do you have any idea what today is?" Kyou asked annoyed.

"Yes, today is the day your locked up." Akito said with confidence.

"The ceremony starts any minute and my stomach is in so many knots I don't think I could puke if I tried to. I don't have time to play with you today. So just find your assigned seat and be quiet! When the time comes you will give your blessing and if you upset Tohru today of all days, so help me I will not be held accountable for my actions!" Kyou, finished with his admonishments, slammed the door in Akito's face. Outside, completely unnoticed by Akito a large banner waved in the gentle late spring breeze. It read, in big block print: Congratulations, Kyou and Tohru Sohma, on your wedding day.

Japanese Word of the Day

Toshi - Fighting spirit

Kimuzukashii - Difficult, crabby, or peevish

Hane - feather

Original Character Bios

Legion

Legion is, simply put, a freak. Coming from a world were mysticism and voodoo practices were standard Legion was consider creepy. With the power to suck out a persons soul in a moment of weak-mindedness, he could then control their bodies in way that pleased him. The people of the village he lived in feared him even at a young age as he tended to use this power in cruel ways. He was eventually outcasted and then sentenced to death after he used his abilities to rape and murder several teenagers from the village. When he realized what they were planning he took over their children and forced the kids the kill the parents, then eachother. Deva got him to join the cult by promising him he could do as pleased to the lesser members and any captives for cause. To date, Kyou is the only one the escape his clutches alive and in no small part due to his soul being fragmented by the gate Legions power does not work on him.


	14. All that I've Known

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: Again I have gone with a slightly less conventional style. The story will jump around quite a bit. Due to the change in time during warping, many months have gone by in the FB world, but as far as Kyou is considered he only been gone a day or two. Essentially, the exact opposite of what happen to him the first time he left his reality. Also there is implied sexual content in this chapter. Nothing graphic, but still of a nature some of you may not like. I don't really classify it as non-consensual, even though coercion is involved.

Title: Damaged by Plumb

* * *

Temporal instability within the Dimensional Gate Systems can be a major pain. Set time coordinates, I am told, are easier to manage when the gate is created by an outside means. Such as the ones the Bureau uses. Maybe if we weren't usually in a rush to leave Tokino and I could be bothered to focus on a certain time period, then maybe we wouldn't end up in situation where our clothes are likely to get us burned at the stake. Of course that might have had something to do with the fact that it was in the middle of broad daylight in a busy marketplace that might have contributed to the sentencing. Puritans.

You know, while it would make figuring out our ages easier, I don't think I want to know what would happen if the gate followed a set time line. At least this way, if I end up in the past of my own world, I can just wait for everyone to catch up with me. –excerpt from The Winding Road. A Drifters Diary.

s

Yuki sighed deeply as he walked though the hotels hall. He was wandering with no place in particular to be going. The madness of the day was plaguing his thoughts and he was having trouble getting the jumbled mess into some semblance of order. After everything had calmed down and the emergency vehicles had rounded up the wounded and the stragglers, after Shiraki-sensei had finished her head count and found all students alive and under her care, after the boys in their shared room had finally gone to sleep, he had slipped out the door.

He knew that he wasn't the only one not in his bed. Kyou was talking with their teacher and explaining that he was leaving as soon as possible. It wasn't going to be as difficult as anyone had thought it would be to make up an excuse. Apparently, a news crew had been broadcasting since almost the very start and all of Japan knew that something big had gone down in Kyoto, even if they didn't know what. Kyou was using the coverage to his advantage and as far as the teachers knew his legal guardian, worried for his safety was insisting he go home immediately. As the trains were being shut down until local authorities could certain of what had taken place, he was going to take a taxi. Expensive yes, but the Sohma family was known to be well off so it wouldn't be questioned.

He should be packing right about now. Yuki hadn't wanted to be there when he was. He didn't want to think about it, then he might ask things he was better off not knowing the answers too. Instead of watching his cousin disappear into the night, he had gone to the baths. When he got there he found he wasn't the only one with the idea. Two old men were soaking away and loudly talking about the incident, likening it to their time of service in World War Two.

The topic brought to mind the tattoo Yuki had seen on Kyou's arm and he had fled the bath in hopes of escaping the connection his mind was making. Now he was alone on a quiet veranda with nothing to distract him from the chaos in his head. Tendrils of memories wrapped around fleeing thoughts as they collided in a tangled mess that chased after itself. Who was Legion and what had he wanted with them? How long had Kyou been hiding the abilities he had just displayed? What would the main house of the Sohma family think? And what was it that Kyou had turned into? Was that the real true form of the cat after all? If it was what did that mean for everyone else?

He stilled in his tracks while attempting to process what was going to happen now that the balance in the Sohmas lives was about to shift. He was debating with himself about the pros and cons of lying to Akito, when a soft sound dragged him from his musings. He followed it to it's source in the gardens. Tokino had stopped singing by the time he spotted her. He watched her as she stared up into the dark sky, her back to him and he thought, _I know this, I've done this before." _

It had been so long ago, that cold night on the new year. He had been allowed to roam free until the banquet started and had overheard the maids talking in loud whispers. The cat was there, just outside, they said. Wasn't it hideous and how could they even allow him to be on the property. Yuki had been curious to see him. He had heard all the stories, mostly from Akito and the maids, about the cat but had never actually seen him. He knew the other boy was alone right now, just like Yuki was. Maybe they could be alone together until he had to go back.

At any rate he wanted to see for himself if the cat was really a monster or not. The meeting hadn't gone so well then, Kyou had been angry and spiteful, but Yuki still remember the first thought he had upon seeing the cat for the first time. Right now if Tokino had shorter hair and they were at the main house Yuki would have believed he had gone back in time. The only light was from the inn behind them, but it still was enough to illuminate the color of her hair making it stand out in the blackness of night.

His opinion was the same now as it had been then, beautiful. Tokino turned to him and he realized he had spoken out loud. She looked him in the eye, her head tilted to one side.

"Which part?" she asked.

He didn't know why but he felt the urge to say what was on his mind.

"The color of your hair is really pretty," he felt stupid as soon as the words left him. She gave him a wide eyed stare as if she was waiting for more. When nothing else came forth from him she took a step closer.

"Was that what you were thinking. You should have said so to begin with, instead of just standing there. I don't really hate you, but it's not my mouth that you want to hear those words from, is it. Maybe they would never have been spoken if you hadn't held your tongue." His breathe hitched in his throat as his mind froze over. She couldn't know about that night. He was fairly certain that Kyou had forgotten it and noone else was there when they met. Taking in a lung full of air, he tried to think of an appropriate response. She beat him to it.

"I never hated you. You were merely convenient, a sacrificial lamb offered up as a scapegoat by Akito. It doesn't make it right, but it was the only way. Blame needed to be place somewhere, even though I know it was everyone's fault, not just yours or mine. And you made it so easy too, but in the end I never hated _you_." She placed her hand over his heart and he wondered when she had gotten close enough to do so. "Someday the one you want to hear say all this will, but not now. When the time comes you will say what you told me tonight to the person you intended it for and maybe you can start over."

"When?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure you will know when the time is right. There now, how was that for deep and mysterious? I didn't mean to go all oracle on you, I swear."

"Why can you say all this to me? Who are you?"

"That, is a secret," she held a finger to her lips and winked at him. "I never even told Master, but if you want, I guess I can tell you," she leaned up on tip toe and whisper the answer in his ear. His eyes widened and once again his breathe escaped him. She left him standing in the garden, too shocked to move, and never looked back. When he managed to return to the inn, he found Tohru gazing blankly into the door of the girls room.

She nearly combusted when he touched her arm to get her attention.

"Oh, Yuki-kun! You just missed Kyou. He left a minute ago, I'm sure you can catch him if you hurry."

"No, I have a feeling he's already beyond our reach now. Come on, let's go to sleep, I'm sure tomorrow we'll need it."

s

When his severed head was all of Legion that re-materialized in the control room, Jarvis couldn't have said he really cared. There certainly was no love lost in his death, the Four Pillars didn't really spend time together outside of orders. Staring at the head he tried to call up some sort of emotion, but found that he couldn't. It was the obsessed idiots own fault for running off on his own in the first place. Why should Jarvis bother feeling any empathy, noone else was going to. Sure Deva might be angry at first, but he'd find a replacement and continue on with his plans.

Speaking of Deva, he'd have to go tell him of this little development. Jarvis let out an irritated sigh, even in death Legion caused him problems.

"Perhaps this little incident will be useful. Lord Deva will surely want revenge of a sort, maybe he'll give the Drifter over to me. I've always wanted a chance to dissect such a specimen. The experiments I could do...," he picked up the head and was preparing to plead entrance into Deva's quarters when the door opening startled him. Frill was standing on the other side, hands on her hips and tapping one foot impatiently.

"Have you finished with her yet, I'm tired of waiting. What is that mess you are carrying?" Frill gave a disgusted, even if dainty, snort.

"Legion has had an accident," he held out the disembodied head by it's hair and waved it in Frills face. She held her hand up to ward it off, covering her mouth and nose in the process.

"That is disgusting, but all the same I think I like him better that way. Now, what have you done to Silk? Is she ready or not? I've got things for her to do."

"The girl is in my lab, sleeping it off. You owe me for this Frill, you owe me big and I expect you to pay up this time."

"We'll see if your work is good enough to warrant payment."

"You know my work is exemplary, but what I want to know is, what are you doing to the child to need so many repairs?" He asked as he lead Frill down the hall. She gave him a look so chilling it might have caused frostbite. He returned the look with a knowing smile as he keyed the latch to his lab open. "It seems that whenever one of the old council kicks it the girl suddenly needs remodeling. I wonder what Deva would make of such a coincidence if I were to let it slip out, now that he is taking an interest in us again? Hm?"

"I'm just so overwhelmed by despair at the untimely deaths that I need an outlet for my woes," she countered.

"Indeed. Perhaps she has a slight malfunction that is causing these violent outburst of hers, for the right favors I might be persuaded to fix it," he leered. Frill was far more attractive when she was cornered and angry then when she put forth an effort to be seductive. Jarvis was getting worked up just thinking about it. He'd fling her on the operating table and do her right here if he wasn't positive that she was hiding sharp poisoned objects on her. Instead he showed her to the recovering Silk, leaving the head he had been holding on the table. The girl-child was laid out on the bed naked save for a thin towel that went from chest to just past her thighs. Frill sent him another scathing glare at the sight of the metal arm now attached to Silk's shoulder.

"What is that monstrosity you have given her. It's hideous. She doesn't suit me at all with the ugly thing hanging off her body. Why should I give you anything seeing what you've done to her?"

"The cybernetics that she came with allowed me to upgrade her without killing her in the process. When you see this in action you'll think differently. Controlled by her own brain waves the way a normal arm would work only with extras. It has a fun little extendable toy that will no doubt come in handy for you in the future." he lifted the robotic arm slightly to show off. At the push of a button from the remote on the bed, a long and very sharp looking spear like object shot from the wrist. There was no mistaking it's purpose. Frills eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Of course I am the only one who knows the override command for, not only the arms functions, but the girl's as well," Jarvis said. There was an irritating sense of superiority in his words that Frill hated.

"What do you mean, 'the girl's as well'?" She definitely didn't like the sound of that.

"I mean that her arm wasn't the only thing that I upgraded. Any time I want I can gain complete control of her actions with the simple flick of my wrist. Now, about my payment."

s

Kyou and Tokino had just made it out of the city limits and into an unpopulated area when the change in air pressure alerted them to company. Half expecting another of Devas men, they were surprised to see a man in a sharp looking uniform belonging to the Bureau of Interdimensional Affairs. More specifically, a young version of General Norwell from division twelve. It had been a long time since they had seen him last and now Kyou understood what the good General had meant when they first met. Not knowing why the man was here or what to say Kyou decided to use the mans own words.

"How nice to see you again for the first time, General," Kyou took notice of the mans rank and corrected, "I mean, Colonel. To what do we owe the pleasure of the Bureaus' interest in our affairs." Kyou smiled at the man's obvious discomfort at the greeting. The Colonel cleared his throat and produced official looking papers from the folds of his coat.

"Kyou Sohma, by the order of division twelve Chief of Operations of Time and Space, you are to accompany me to headquarters for questioning and analysis."

"Master?" Tokino looked to him for orders. Kyou just smiled and patted her on the head. He knew what this was about now, after searching his brain for the memory.

"Sorry, but I'm busy right now, so it'll have to wait, okay?"

The Colonel floundered for a moment, confused by the refusal.

"Do you not understand. We mean no harm. The Bureau knows now what happened and wants only to help you return to your normal self. We merely wish to correct the mistake we made, to give time back to you." He stepped forward, but stopped at Kyou's raised hand.

"It's not yours to give me. Besides your about twenty years too late, or maybe too early, I'm not really sure myself. Now if you'll excuse me, I made a mess a long time ago and I think it's time I cleaned up after myself. Tokino, let's go. You remember how." He turned his back on the Colonel and held out his arms to the girl by his side. She smiled and leapt into his embrace.

"Of course, I remember, Master!" She squealed. A dark light surrounded them and when it cleared they were gone. Lost adrift once more in the dimensional continuum.

s

Jarvis had left the lights on. Frill wasn't sure why but it really pissed her off. She watched silently as he pulled his pants on, her face devoid of emotion. He wasn't that bad to look at underneath the lab coat or occasional armor. Such a shame really, she almost felt bad about killing him. Then he spoke and she remembered why he was a waste of flesh.

"See now, that wasn't so bad, was it? We'll have to do it again sometime, say...tomorrow." he awarded her a self-satisfied chuckle and leering grin. 'What a pig.'

"I don't think so. You see I already have plans," she said as she stared at a sweat stain on the pillow.

"And I have control of your toy and information that I just know Deva would love to hear about you. Or was I so good that you have forgotten all else?"

"Oh, I remember. It's just that it won't matter in about," she look at the clock on the wall, "thirty seconds."

"And how, pray tell, do you come to that conclusion. Don't think that one little romp gets you off the hook," he sneered. Unlike Legion, Jarvis preferred his bed partners willing, if not happy about it.

"Why should I bother explaining to a dead man?"

"Like you could do anything to..." his throat suddenly constricted as the room began to tilt around him.

"You're the one who decided on the method of payment. Unfortunately for you the only way to counter the poisons running though my body is with a preventative given _before_ "a little romp". Too bad, who knew you were such a stallion?" she mocked as his lifeless body fell to the floor twitching. She kicked at the corpse with one foot, then began to get dressed. The body would start to rot away at an incredible speed. Soon there wouldn't be much left.

"Now, how am I going to explain to Lord Deva?" her eyes settled upon Legion's head and she smiled. Frilled glided over to the table and let her fingers ghost over the fine hair. Her hand came back bloody. She wiped the reddish black smear on Jarvis' lab coat that hung from a nearby chair.

"Silk! I know you are awake! Now get up and clean up this mess while I explain to our Lord how his long lost friend killed both poor Legion and dear Jarvis." She wrapped the head in the coat then walked out of the room, just as Silk jumped off the exam station to do her mistresses bidding.

s

Momiji put down the violin and blinked in surprise at the sight of Cannoli staring at him. Well, staring in his general direction, being blind meant the cabbit's eyes didn't always end up in the right place. Kisa must of lost track of him again. It had been a month now since Tokino had asked her to watch after the creature until her return. Considering what he was told when Tohru and Yuki had finally gotten home, it was going to be awhile before Cannoli's owner would be back for him.

Momiji sat down next to the little animal and patted it's head. In his head he heard the Rabbit sigh contentedly.

"_That was beautiful." _They weren't so much words as feelings that washed over him, but Momiji interpreted easily enough. The problem was that it took a moment to figure out if it was the Rabbit or Cannoli that had sent him the message. Ever since that day in the woods surrounding Shigure's house he had been able to hear the Rabbit.

"_You should play with the Master sometime. I would like to hear that,"_ Ah, so it was Cannoli then.

"Thank you. I'm glad someone enjoys my playing. Which master and what do they play?" even if he was just making polite conversation, he wanted to know. He hadn't gotten that far in the series yet. A barrage of sound filtered thought his mind, Cannoli not knowing any other way to express the answer. Momiji picked up a piano and harmonica, distant voices raised in song and something like a music box. Obviously one doesn't play a music box but, he tried to picture Kyou sitting at a piano and found it wasn't so difficult as one would imagine.

'**The cat always did have a nice voice. I remember that much.'** the Rabbit supplied.

Momiji watched as Cannoli hopped away as he processed the info. He wondered if Yuki was adjusting to communicating with the Rat at all. Rin could hear her animal as well. Apparently, she was the first of them to do so. The animals seemed to awaken after being in the presence of Kyou's battles. Now they spoke freely, and those that heard them knew their real feelings on certain matters. The Rabbit especially liked to talk about the old days and the things Momiji was learning from him sent the poor boy spinning.

He wanted to ask the other two what they were learning if anything, but was hesitant to do so after seeing Yuki in tears in the bathroom one night, begging the Rat to stop. Rin was being unnervingly sedate lately, muttering occasionally, probably to the Horse. None of them had told Akito or the adults. As far as Momiji knew, Hatsuharu was the only one not in contact with his animal who knew.

"Hey," he asked suddenly, knowing the Rabbit heard him even without speaking out loud, "what's it like, where you are?"

"**It's dark and cold, and though I know the others are near, I am alone. I miss them, I miss the sun. I miss being free and alive."**

There wasn't much to respond to that, so Momiji didn't say anything more.

s

Kisa hesitated for a moment before unlocking the door. She looked guiltily back at Tohru, Kagura, Hastuharu, Yuki, and Hiro, then pushed open the door and led them through the room and up the stairs. When Tokino-chan had asked her to watch after Cannoli she had been given the key, and felt as if she was betraying her friends confidence in her by bringing them here.

However, if what she had been told by Tohru-neechan and Yuki-niisan then Tokino might be gone a long time. She would need help to keep her first real, outside of the Sohma family, friend's apartment clean and ready for her return. When she had finally gotten up the courage to ask Tohru-neechan to go with her Yuki and Haru-niisan had overheard, Kagura-neesan had tagged along after finding out from Haru-niisan where they were going.

If it had to do with Kyou-niisan, then Kagura-neesan was there. It was just how it was. As they entered the apartment, Kisa began opening up the windows to let in the light for the few potted plants in the room. She would give them water before she left. Tohru-neechan handed her the mail and she put it on the counter after sorting the junk from the bills, to be paid by Natsuki tomorrow before the store opened.

Kisa took a deep breath and calmed herself before she started to cry. If Natsuki and the store were still here, then Tokino-chan and Kyou-niisan would be back for sure. A hand on her shoulder drew her from her thoughts.

"I'll vacuum, and Yuki-kun can wash the windows. Let's see Hatsuharu-kun and Kagura-san can dust. Does that sound good to you, Kisa-chan?" Tohru smiled brightly at her and she nodded. Kisa was getting out the supplies when a startled cry came from behind. She turned and then remembered, too late, about the spare room. Everyone was crowded around the doorway, and staring in slack-jawed wonder. Tohru, looking for a vacuum, had opened the door into the lab. Kisa wondered what they would have thought if she had opened it into Kyou-niisan's room at Shigure-san's house.

Cleaning was put on hold as they walked into the wonderland expanse of crazy gadgets and wild flora. That's right, she should probably feed the fish in the tank today. She hadn't done it in a week, though Tokino-chan assured her once that they could go a month on their own. Within the lab there were various storage rooms, the doors scattered here and there. Kisa had yet to see all of them. Kagura began to rummage around in the various rooms with no regard for something so trivial as private property. Tohru chased after her, trying to talk some reason into her. They didn't have permission to be looking through Kyou's things.

Seeing Kagura on the move only incourage the rest to look around themselves, nothing so invasion as routing around behind closed doors, but still poking at things laying around.

"Oh wow, how beautiful," Tohru exclaimed as Kagura opened a door leading into a gallery of sorts. Painting, sculptures, and other antiques were showcased on display. The painting that had gotten Tohru's attention was of a naked woman, curled into a semi fetal position. Next to that was another of seemingly the same woman. Their back was to the viewer, long, red hair draped behind her form, as she flaunted her behind to the viewer as if to say, 'yeah, well, here's what I think of you.'

"Those look like Gustav Klimt. He was considered a rebel in his time for painting the nude female form. His paintings are worth millions now." Yuki said as he examined the canvas. In the corner obscured to anyone who didn't know what to look for was an artist tag. Proof of authenticity.

"That's, ah, probably a fake," Yuki backed away and looked over at the picture of a young girl in a flowery dress which she didn't look happy about wearing. She stood tall, feet shoulder length apart, fist on her hip. The Mada Primevesi, another Klimt work.

"Yeah. A fake," Haru agreed. Both ignored the fact that aside from the dark brown hair, the girl looked a lot like Tokino.

"Then what do you make of this?" Kagura asked, pointing to a book in a glass case in the corner. She read out loud from the page it was open to.

"To my good friend and a great inspiration. Mark Twain. It's a first edition print of Huckleberry Finn. Where do you get something like that?"

"Um, from the author," Kisa shrunk back and the incredulous looks. "Tokino-chan said that he was a really nice guy. He liked cats," she averted her gaze to the floor.

"We have cleaning to do, that's why we're here after all," Tohru piped up, "and it looks like we have a lot more to do then I thought. So let's get started," she enthused as she headed back to the entrance. Suddenly she came up short on the doorway. She turned back with a sheepish look.

"Um, Kisa-chan, you wouldn't happen to know where the vacuum is,...would you?"

s

Deva gazed at the white cloth that Frill had just presented him with. It was oozing, what appeared to be blood, onto his desk.

"Well, are you ready to take serious action yet?" she asked as she whipped the cloth away to reveal Legion, or at any rate, part of him. "This is all that we were able to retrieve. There wasn't enough left of Jarvis to get back," she had put just the right amount of hitch to her voice to make it seem as if she were upset. Sanji, who stood to his right, showed equal part disgust and admiration.

"He shows no more mercy, I see. Please allow me another chance to collect him." Sanji seemed a little too excited at the idea to be altogether healthy, for a man who had just recovered from his last beating.

"No let me go. I want to be the one to get him for you." Frill stepped up and leaned across his desk, all but shoving her cleavage in Deva's face. His eyes never left the head on his desk to her left. He stood and picked it up to look it in the eyes. After all they had been through together, after all he had done for him, raising him up on high with the gods, this was how Kyou repaid him.

"Why must all my gods always turn on me in such a way?" he asked the severed head. "First my wife and children are ripped away from me in the name of religion and power, and now my new family...once more a god takes from me what is most important to me." In a sudden fit of rage he turned and flung the head across the room with all his might. Frill jumped off the desk in shock and Sanji had to duck to avoid getting hit by it. It impacted on the far wall with a sickening thump before falling to roll into a corner. A dark, lumpy streak remained on the wall from where the skull had split open.

"Why?! I built all this for you! So you would have a heaven all your own and followers to worship you! I only wanted to share in your power with you, but no! Fine, if that's the way he wants to play this, then go. If he will not share the secrets of the heavens, then I will share with him my pain. Do onto others and all that, yes. Jarvis said there were others like Kyou-dono on this world, his family, correct Sanji?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Then, both of you, introduce yourself to them. And make sure he knows about even the most minute of sufferings you gift them with." As both Frill and Sanji bowed out the room to do as he ordered, Deva slid open the curtains on the windows. He stared out into the dark nothing of zero space that he had been forced to take refuge in.

"I cannot forgive you this time. I will reign on high in my own heaven without you for this, but I still need you to get there, dear old friend."

* * *

Omake

Cagey Intentions Pt.5

After the disaster of his last attempt, Akito wasn't going to back down again. Kyou was going and that was that. The young man stood behind him now, almost seemly admiring the effort put into the renovations done to the house. Akito smirked, Kyou wasn't going to get out of it so easily this time. He had made sure of that.

"Do we really need to go through all of this again. I'm just going to leave again you know."

"We'll see. I had a lot of work done to it. You'll find it far more difficult this time I assure you." Akito stated. He sounded rather smug and Kyou was slightly annoyed by it. He walked into the house and shut the door himself. As Akito was about to turn the key in the lock the wall on his left burst apart. Dust and debris scattered about and blew in his face. Kyou gave him a indignant little snort and walked away.

"Now if you'll excuse me, unlike some people, I work for a living."

Akito was unable to move in the face of his shock. Just as the last of the dust was clearing there was a deep rumble and the whole thing fell in on itself. Leaving Akito standing alone, next to an empty lot.

Japanese Word of the Day

Modoru - turn back, return

Hayaku - make haste, quickly, fast

Hateshite - as expected

J-Notes

'How beautiful'- the painting being described are truly by a famous austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. Their names are Danae and Goldfish, as well the already mentioned Mada Primevesi. Goldfish is said to be made in response to negative critics who thought three paintings that the state had comissioned for a university. They refused to use them, not because they were bad, but because they didn't like what he chose to depict in them. Claming it an afront, or something along those lines. The paintings were later seized by Nazi forces and stored in a castle they then burned down to prevent enemy occupation. The three paintings were lost.

The ones I've mentioned however were completely different ones, two of which you can see, redesigned, in the opening and closing of the anime, Elfen Lied. The two nudes, in their original form have reddish orange hair. Kyou picked them up in his travels because he thought they were fascinating.

Mark Twain- it is a little known fact that Mark Twain was a cat lover. He is quoted as saying 'if one were to combine a man with a cat, it would improve the man and deteriorate the cat.' I think this saying really fits with the cat's curse. So why not have Kyou meet him during one of the jumps and have him come up with that saying because of it.


	15. The Reaper is Waiting in the Wing

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: So close to the end and yet so far. A lot is resolved, but there is still so much more to write. At least five more chapters. This one was probably the easiest and the hardest to do. So much violence in this chapter as well. It couldn't be helped I suppose. Silks origins are revealed finally. If you haven't watched Gunslinger Girls, then you should or you just wont get it.

Title: Sleep Tight by Sarah Brightman.

* * *

Today one of the classes I'm in at the university got a new teacher. His name is Deva and he has actually managed to make Theology interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his lecture. Some of his ideas and theories are quite amazing. I didn't even know the constant threat of war that hangs over this nation had to do with religious politics. Noone had mentioned it before, and truthfully I didn't care enough to ask. I don't know if the gods these people worship and die for are real in this world, but the way he talks about them, you would think he'd known them personally his whole life. I almost wish I had Guru Deva's enthusiasm, but then with the things I've seen I can't put much faith in merciful, forgiving gods. – excerpt from Darkening Horizons. A Drifters Diary.

s

When the insurgents had attempted to jump start the war, Deva had been giving a special lecture in the temple just outside the city limits. Half of his students including his good friend hadn't been able to go, by order of the university head, for safety reasons. They figured a smaller group would be easier to keep track of; seeing as Deva was the only faculty going. There was also the fear the a larger group might be more noticeable by enemy spies. It would look bad for the college if an entire class was killed while on an outing.

The neighboring country, however, had their eyes set on the city itself. Situated on the border and having very little in the way of security, it would take a long time before the king's army could get there to defend. They gave no warning and left a path of destruction in their wake. When the smoke was first seen rising over the horizon, Deva had stopped the lecture and ran the whole way back. He forgot about the students falling behind, he forgot about the sending someone to the capitol to spread news of the attack, he just prayed his wife and two children were safe.

His prayers went unheard. Out of breath, his legs and lungs on fire from the four mile dash, he dropped to knees before the charred remains of his home. People were still fighting each other in the distance, the noise getting closer, but that didn't matter to him as he cradled the burnt body of his oldest son, the only one of his family he could find. As he sobbed in his grief, he gave up on any will to live. Instead he had waited in the rubble for the invading army to find him and kill him.

The sound of footsteps approaching drew his attention up. A single figure stood before him, soaked in blood and bearing strange weapons and armor. The dancing flames of the burning city cast their visage into shadows. Sure that this was the enemy, Deva waited for the fatal blow...that never came. The figure walked slowly towards him and as he did so the shadows melted away revealing his identity. Deva felt that maybe he should have been more surprised by Kyou's presence, but for some reason he wasn't.

"Are you really my student, or are you the God of War taking his form to kill me? If you are the latter then be quick about it and send me on to see family," he could not bring himself to look at that face any longer, so instead he turned his eyes down to the mangled corpse of his child.

"And if I told you I was neither? If I told you I was here to help you?"

"The only thing anyone could do to help me is to save them, but you can not do that, can you." It was a statement, not a question. To question would imply that he didn't already know the answer.

"You're right I can't save them, but I can save you. I can take you away from here. You are my friend and I would like it if you joined me."

"Where would we go? Don't give some sanctimonious garbage about lands ruled by peace. There is no peace for me."

"I wouldn't promise you a world that doesn't exist. There is no land that has not fallen to war at some point or another, as far as I know, and I have been to many worlds. This city, your family they are in the past now. Leave it behind you and join me. In time perhaps you will find you will heal, but if you don't, if you still want to die, I won't stop you. Just don't expect me to be your executioner. So, will you follow me to a new world or should I leave you behind. If you send me away, I won't look back to see if you've changed your mind."

Deva weighed his options and found he didn't want to die. He just didn't want to live either. A dilemma he had no answer for, and no god to turn to for help, because God had abandoned him. The words 'a new world' floated though his mind. Maybe in this 'new world' Kyou had spoke of there would be a new god to guide him. He reached out his hand and accepted the offer.

s

"I was so selfish. I only took him with us because I was lonely. I should have left him there to live or die as the fates of his reality allowed. Then, we wouldn't be here right now." Kyou stood before the immense door to Deva's stronghold, Tokino by his side.

"You blame yourself to much, Master. It's because you are too kind, that's why you tried to help him," she tried to reassure.

"If I was truly kind I would have ended his life when he first asked. If I hadn't taken him with, none of this would have happened. I'd never have been ripped from my home in the first place. Who would have thought that all this time the gate he made to reach heaven, is the same one that started this in the first place?"

"And who would have thought that my mind wandering at the last minute would land us in the middle of Bureau Headquarters. You were mad, but if we hadn't gone there first you would never have known that. And if you hadn't left your world then you would never have met me, right Master?" she looked at him as if she wasn't sure wether or not he considered her presence a good thing. He smiled down at her and patted her head.

"You're right, some good did come out of it."

"Master is feeling better, yeah! Now let's go kill things," she cheered exuberantly. Kyou let his head fall into his hands as he groaned at her choice of words.

"Oh, Tokino."

s

If Sanji, and Frill had waited a minute more they would have been in the stronghold when the door burst open and Tokino began her assault, but they hadn't waited and instead missed all the fun. Things might have ended differently had they been by Deva's side, but as it was they were converging on the Sohma family property. The small warp gate had left them standing in the middle of a darkened street on New Year's Night. Why? Because this was the time and place when all their prey was gathered in one place, ripe for the slaughter.

"Stupid gate. Couldn't it have put us a little closer? Now I'm actually going to have to walk to the house. Which one was it again?" Frill asked bored, as she hopped up to sit on a low wall in front of one of the houses. Sanji looked around to get his bearing. The scanner in his hand was tuned into Kyou's magical signature, but being that a portion of his family had the same signature they were using it to home in on the others.

"That way. Let us get going. We wouldn't want to miss the festivities, now would we." he started to walk in the direction of the main house when Frill stopped him.

"It looks as if we aren't the only ones not invited to the party." He followed her gaze to the lit window of the house they were in front of. A shadow quickly moved away from view, hurrying deeper inside. A wicked smile spread across Frill's face.

"It's not fair that some have been left out of the fun. Let's bring them along, shall we? After all, the more the merrier."

s

This year Tohru was staying at Kazuma-dono's place for New Year's. She had been spending a lot of time there since Kyou had left again. At least she wasn't going to be alone this time, so Yuki wasn't worried about her. Rin was there too, using illness as a means to not go to the banquet. Tohru had been working hard to be friends with the older girl and finally felt like she was making progress. If only they could all celebrate the coming year together next time.

She had been looking out the window, absent-mindedly playing with the necklace Kyou had given her in Kyoto, and praying for his safe return. This was why she was able to witness the party crasher's unexpected arrival in the street below. She sat stunned at first by their sudden appearance and then hid away when she realized she had been spotted. Tohru didn't know why, but she had a sick feeling about them.

Keeping low she departed the room to find Kazuma-dono and tell him of want she had seen. She didn't get far before the doorbell rang and her yell to not answer the summons was too late. Both Rin and Tohru made it to the receiving room in time to watch as Kazuma fell to the floor unconscious. Frill and Sanji stood in the entrance grinning sadistically. Tohru saw the syringe in Frill's hand and made to run, but wasn't fast enough. Her last thought, as darkness clouded her senses, was a plea for someone to help and then she was gone, lost to the land of dreams. Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince to come wake her.

s

Somewhere, deep in the emptiness of zero space, a group of armed worshipers waited nervously in the main corridor of their leader's palace. The alert had come as a surprise at first, after all they were floating in a bubble reality that consisted of the palace and nothingness. Then, the guards had reported that the invaders weren't the Bureau, but the Drifter. Their fallen god had finally come for revenge and it was their duty, no their great honor, to die protecting their leader. The door suddenly burst open and in stepped The Immortal Child, the personification of eternal youth, and she was fully loaded.

The cheeky, if not insane, grin on Tokino's face broadened as she took in the sight of all the troops.

"So many new playmates, I hoped I've brought enough toys for everyone," she said as she hoisted the twin canon rifles, nearly double her size, into ready position.

Sitting just out side the door, Kyou listened to the rapid fire gunshots as Tokino brought down the first wave. The rifles were out of ammunition by now and the enemy was out of reinforcements. It didn't really matter at this point if there were more coming or not. Using the mind link with Tokino, he followed the slaughter to it's conclusion. At some point the troops had thinned out so much that Tokino hadn't felt it necessary to be serious anymore, if she had been to begin with.

It was always fun to watch her go when she was fighting for the fun of it. She even started to avoid the bullets by twirling and leaping like a ballerina, dancing to a random symphony that played in her head.

"Great, now I have Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies stuck in my head." he muttered to himself as he tried to think of who Tokino reminded him of when she pirouetted past a shot, letting the ricochet hit another gunman. One more spin and two more precision fires from her last weapon and it was over. She took a bow as the remaining men fled down the halls. Kyou clapped halfheartedly, what Tokino called the 'golf clap', she stuck her tongue out at him. The goofy face she was making caused something to click in his mind and he remembered the person he had been trying to think of.

"Vash! A bit more elegant of course, but definitely Vash." he said.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Let's go I'm sure Deva is more than aware of our presence by now," he looked up and down the halls. "Left or right? Which way do you suppose we should go?"

Tokino opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when she was suddenly lifted off the floor and went soaring into a wall.

"How about neither. I'd much prefer you stay here and play with me instead." Kyou turned to the voice and swore. A young woman with long strawberry blond hair and cat ear-shaped horns had appeared from the right. She lifted the hem of her maids uniform as she stepped over the bodies strewn about the floor. A pained groan came from Tokino as she stood back up. She stumbled slightly as she shook off the vertigo from her collision.

"A Diclonius. You aren't Lucy or Nana, they would never leave the inn for this place. Really, I'm surprised Deva would even trust one of your kind."

"Lord Deva saved me from that hellish place. I would never hurt him, and I most certainly wouldn't let anyone else do so. I will eradicate any threat to him." Her smile turned deadly and a bloodthirsty light shone in her eyes. Kyou readied himself to fight, but a hand pulling on his sleeve drew away his attention.

"No Master, let me." Tokino was looking past him towards the girl. She had already called up the cat's eye. Her iris' turning gold and taking over the whites of her eyes. "Please Master, it's a matter of pride. She got the drop on me and I can't let that go."

"It doesn't matter which one of you dies first to me." the Diclonius said. Kyou and Tokino lept apart and the ground where they had stood imploded.

"I guess I'll be going then. Don't take to long here."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of drawing this out." Reassured, Kyou took off down the opposite direction the Diclonius had come from. Tokino didn't spare a moment to see him off. She hadn't really been given the chance to either. As Kyou headed off to confront Deva, Tokino was weaving though the vectors strikes. Her enhanced sight the only thing allowing her to perceive the invisible arms as they tried to rip her to shreds.

s

Yumi was trying her hardest to ignore the sounds of gunfire that echoed from the ground floor. The diversionary tactics had worked so far, Kyou and Tokino were doing a good job and noone living in this place knew the Bureau was there, yet. The gates margin of error for dimensional immersion hadn't been to far off and they had arrived right out side the transport room. The equipment here was old and it would take time to shut it all down. Hopefully, those kids would be alright.

'Of course, considering that they had been planning to come here and kill Deva to begin with, they should know what they're doing. I mean, if a transwarp gate opening in your head doesn't kill you, then a bunch of brainwashed retards shouldn't be a problem, right?' She thought to herself as worked on opening the encrypted files in the system. When the warp gate had opened in the silent room and spat out a young man and a little girl, everyone had been a bit surprised. Especially since it had been the very gate they had just lost. Yumi had been so relieved to learn that the boy was the person she thought she had killed, that she had thrown her arms around him in glee.

She also passed out when said boy turned into a cat immediately after she made contact. When the excitement had died down and introductions had been made they had gone back to headquarters for planning. Kyou could get them to Deva and the main collective of the Paradise cult by piggying backing another gate over his. It was risky but it had worked and they had used a separate system to get into the palace without having to go though the front entrance.

Nevarez was working on the files found in Jarvis's computer. Tommy, the new kid, was already speeding through the activation logs and Jacek was working on security, trying to get the cameras trained to the right places. Over the comm, Yumi could hear Nevarez mumbling to himself as he opened file after file.

"What the hell were these people doing. Cyborg override control system? Brainwave monitor, personality typing, memory lock, battle mode. Fucking mad scientist, alright little toy where are you? Come out, come out," Nevarez's voice was staticy but intelligible.

"Nevarez! Quit fooling around! Just collect the data and transmit it to the mainframe. You can play with Jarvis' old toys later," Jacek ordered.

"Aah fearless leader, you're no fun man." Yumi giggled as she listened to the banter.

"Nevarez."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, follow procedure. Downloading to Sector 5 mainframe now. You happy now, boss man," Nevarez huffed.

s

Back in Jarvis's lab, Nevarez stared at the access file for Silk with a bored expression. He really shouldn't mess with it until he at least found the doll, but it was such a long wait until they got wrapped up here. Deciding that going though the dolls memory file wouldn't be to dangerous, he began hacking though the password lock. Finally breaking through, he opened the locked files and stared at the screen confused when the file turned out to be empty.

"So much for entertainment," he mourned. Across the room a secondary computer came out of it's hibernation. On it's black screen a single message popped up.

Searching for signal.

s

Kyou stared up at the top of the stairs. The large double doors at the top lead to Deva's room, and standing between him and those doors was a single person. She was old, but he could tell she was still strong. She stood straight up and easily held her weapon of choice at the ready. He calmly walked up the steps until he was standing before her.

"Hello, Skol. Do we really have to do this." She lowered the halberd at his greeting.

"They are all gone now. Frill didn't even try to be subtle about it this time. Now, I am all that's left."

"All the more reason to not fight you." he tried.

"When Frill returns she will know that she didn't finish us off. I don't want to spend my life watching out for her, only to die from some arcane poison," she raised her weapon once more and settled into proper attack position, "I am a warrior and I wish to die fighting. Send me to my brothers and sister in the only way befitting those of our kind."

Kyou took a deep breath and made his decision. He would not make the same mistake he had made with Deva. He unsheathed the sword at his side and waited.

"I only ask that you fight me at the full extent of your ability," Skol said.

"I wouldn't dishonor you by doing less." he replied and then they both moved forward. It didn't last long. Kyou didn't think it would, for though Skol was skilled and strong, she didn't have eternal youth on her side. She didn't have the vast reserves of experience that Kyou had. He made it as quick as possible, he dodged her last strike then impaled her in one fluid movement.

"Thank you." she whispered as he removed the sword from her body. She watched with eyes wide open as he brought the blade around and cleanly removed her head. He stared at her lifeless body for a while, lost in his own thoughts, but was brought out of his musings by the sound of clapping. He looked up and met eye to eye with Deva.

"You should have called to let me know you were dropping by. I would have been able to give you a proper greeting," Deva bowed low in exaggeration, "Welcome, to my humble temple."

"For some reason, I doubt your sincerity," Kyou replied. It might have had something to with the gun Deva was holding.

"And for some reason, I doubt you have come to hand over the key to paradise." Deva countered as he straightened from his bow. It might have had something to do with Kyou killing off his followers and body guards.

"Do you mean this?" Kyou held up his left hand, showing off the Buddhist beads adorning his wrist. "You can have them if you want them so badly. You just have to get them from me first," Kyou taunted. Really, he would have chucked them in Deva's face if it wasn't such a good ruse to draw on a fight. It wasn't like he needed them anymore and their power was long gone. He only kept it because it had always been there for as long as he could remember and now it was weird when he wasn't wearing it. It had broken and been fixed more times then he could count and some of the beads weren't even the originals. Deva believed it was what gave Kyou the power to use the warp gate and he hadn't bothered to correct that assumption. It was easier than trying to explain something that he himself wasn't sure of.

"Do not forget that I have drifted along beside you. I have learned many forms of combat, more so than my pillars, and certainly more then poor Skol. I will not go down as easily as they have."

"Yes, I am aware of your many, and varied, skills. But there is a big difference between us, Deva. I'm afraid you won't win."

"We will see, won't we." Deva raised the gun and fired.

s

Jacek ran though the hall as fast as he could. The monitors were grainy but he knew a losing battle when he saw one. And that had definitely been a losing battle. He took the corner a little fast and almost dropped the anti-personel rifle he had manage to requisition from the head office. When he had first tuned the camera on the action it had looked good, but the opposition had the advantage. When he noticed that the scales were rapidly tipping in the wrong favor, he had pulled Nevarez from his station to keep an eye on the other battle, then sent the distress message to the Colonel.

The departments newest toy, with exploding cartridges was his answer. No one wanted to find out what would happen if one of them was killed before the warp gate was disengaged permanently. He came to a stop just before the main hall and took shelter behind some debris to set up. A gleeful, and rather psychotic laugh resounded through the corridor, followed by a scream and a loud thump. He looked over his barrier then ducked back down. Good the targets back was turned to him.

He lifted the weapon and began to take aim. It had to be in one shot and it had to be before he was noticed. He sighted, switched off the safety, and fired. The diclonius didn't even know what hit her. By the time she had heard the report of the rifle's fire, the back of her head had already exploded. Her body crumpled to the floor as grey matter splattered the entire area.

Jacek dropped the rifle and ran to the other form that sat on the other side of the dead girl. Tokino was breathing heavily and one of her arms was most definitely broken. She fell into his arms when he reached her. He gave her injuries a once over and determined that she would live, but he wasn't sure about the state of her right eye. She had it closed tight and blood was sliding down her face from it.

"Thanks. I'll be okay." she said. Her voice was weak and her breathing hadn't calmed down yet.

"And how do you figure that?" he asked her.

"I still have all my limbs, don't I?"

"Yes." he lifted her and began to head back to the others. Yumi had sent the warp signature and corridinates to the med unit. They should be waiting for them by now.

"If you come away from an encounter with a diclonius with all your original body parts, then you live a charmed life," she said, then she passed out.

s

Ranged weaponry, like fire arms, had never been Kyou's speciality. Luckily for him, they weren't Deva's either. He had emptied the gun, and now they were really getting into it, relying on swords, magic, and hand to hand. The occasional dagger was thrown into the mix, but Kyou was fairly certain that the one he had pulled from his thigh was the last of those. Deva wasn't doing much better then he was and Kyou hoped it wouldn't go on much longer. He wanted to get this over with.

"We don't have to do this you know. If you would just give up this foolish ideology of yours we could stop now," he figured he'd give reason one more try. Maybe the adrenalin had cleared up Deva's head.

"Give up? No, I don't think so. Those words sound like a desperate plea from one who is losing," Deva answered him as he charged, sword at the ready. The clang of metal meeting metal echoed in their ears as Kyou deflected the blow.

"I don't understand you. How can reaching some mythical land mean more to you than the people you would kill? All the worlds you would destroy?"

"You will understand soon enough, I'm sure," Deva said, cryptically. He smiled in a self- satisfied manner and Kyou felt his stomach plummet.

"What do mean, Deva. What have you done?"

"Don't you think it strange that I had Skol guard me instead of Sanji or Frill? Right now, as we stand here, they are torturing and killing those who you hold most dear to you. If you truly wish to see them again, then you will join me. Yes?"

Kyou lowered his sword and stood up straight, completely unguarded as Deva's words sank in.

"Is that what you think Deva? That you're family is there, waiting for you? That you can find them there?"

"If I have the power of a god on my side then no one can ever take them from me again." Deva answered.

"Deva, my friend, my teacher, no portal in time or space can take you to the place you speak of. You should know that the only way to get to the paradise you seek, is though death."

Deva let out an strangled cry and blindly swung. Kyou moved out of the way with a fluidity that his wounds shouldn't have allowed if it wasn't for the rush of battle.

"I don't want to hear such things from you!" Deva strikes became wild in his fury, Kyou easily deflecting the random swings. "I want you to bring them back. Why can't you bring them back?" The look in Deva's eyes changed from angrily insanity to lost and defeated. He knew he couldn't have what he wanted. That no one, not even a god, could bring the dead back to him.

"You'd have me experience the same thing? I have lost those I loved before and I will again. It can't be helped. Loss is the burden of the living. You asked me once to kill you, but I denied you. I'm willing to relieve you of that burden now."

Deva stopped his assault out of shock. The brief moment he let his guard Kyou struck in a downward strike that ripped through the other man diagonally from shoulder to hip. His life rapidly fled his body and the light in his eyes dimmed, then went out altogether. Kyou stood over him, feeling as though he should do something more for the man that had once been his comrade. The only thing that came to mind was what the students used to say when departing from his class.

"Jai, Guru Deva." He turned and departed, shutting the doors to the room the fight had finished in, and never looking back. After all, there was still a chance that the Sohmas were alive and he planned on keeping it that way.

s

When Silk had grabbed her head and started screaming, Frill had been so annoyed that she back handed the girl into the wall so hard she fell and did not get back up. Sanji didn't really care, the girl belonged to Frill. Besides they had an entire set of new toys to play with. They had started to come around a while ago and now were all awake. Terrified faces stared at them from the floor where they had left them after binding them.

Sanji wanted to get started, but Frill wanted to wait until they knew where the Drifter was. He thought it would be more fun to leave a few of their bodies as bread crumbs to draw him out, she thought it would be more fun to start torturing them when he was close enough to hear their screams, but too far away to save them. The difference had led to an argument that degenerated into a barter war.

Many of the older Sohmas were trying to crowd around the youngest in a futile effort to shield them. Especially when Sanji had suggested that Frill could have the two kids if he could kill off one of the adults. Frill had looked both Kisa, and Hiro up and down, appraising their worth to her.

"The girl is cute enough. I would like a new doll to play with. Jarvis really messed up Silk's arm and I don't think I'll be able to fix her the next time she breaks. I think I'll name this new one Lace."

"So we are in agreement?" Sanji was surprised. Deva had told them to kill them all and Frill had always followed his orders. Maybe not the councils, but always Deva's. Frill seemed to be thinking it over as she played with one of the rings adorning her fingers.

"You know, you're quite ruthless and fast to act. So unlike Lord Deva who lets sentimentality cloud his judgment, and actions. I think I like that about you," she moved in close and trailed her hands up his chest to loop around his neck.

"And just what are you implying, Frill. Do not think for one moment that I am as easily manipulated as Jarvis was," he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I know it was you who killed him."

Frill took a step back and glared up at Sanji, then reared back and slapped him hard across the face. The ring she had been playing with left a gash on his cheek.

"It's too bad you're to smart for your own good."

Before he could ask what she meant the room began to spin as breathing suddenly became difficult. He was taking air in but it didn't seem to be enough. His skin paled and his vision went fuzzy. He clawed at his throat, and the air in between himself and Frill.

"It's a special poison, passed down in my family. There is no known preventive and it works too fast to cure, not even I am immune. Good bye, Sanji. With you out of the way all I have to do is get rid of Kyou and Deva will be all mine." Sanji never heard her reason, he was already dead. The Sohmas and Tohru however were very much alive and could hear just fine. There had been more of them then the two had planned on and they weren't able to gag all of them. So they had pick the loudest and most annoying ones and left the others their power of speech. Tohru was the first to exercise that ability.

"How could you? Wasn't he your friend?"

"No, he was an obstacle in my path to glory and power. Just like your little friend is. That's where you come in. Relations make the best bait."

"I don't get it. What's Kyou got to do with you?" Yuki asked, drawing the woman's attention away from Tohru.

"I hate him. I hate hearing that name. He is all Deva ever talks about. Kyou, Kyou, Kyou! I never want to hear that name again. As long he is around Deva doesn't notice anyone else. All he cares about is getting his hands on that little whore!" she screamed the last word.

"Your no vestal virgin yourself Frill." She jumped and spun toward the door at the sound of the voice. Kyou stood leaning casually against the door frame. " And I'll have you know, that unlike some people, I've never sold myself, and my relation with Deva was purely platonic. Not that it matters anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" Frill asked. By now she had already forgotten about the group bound on the floor behind her. Kyou hadn't, however, and as he stepped into the room completely he watched the window to the groups left slide open. A combination of magic and medicine had done much to heal Tokino, and even though her arm was still tender and her sight was blurry, she could sneak in and untie them.

"Why did you kill poor Sanji and what happened to Silk? Has anyone ever told you you play to rough with others. They won't want to play with you anymore. Isn't that right, Akito?" Kyou looked past Frill and at the person in question. Akito glared at him and Tokino snorted as she began untiing Hatsuharu.

"Don't ignore me, bitch! What did you mean?" Frill was getting angrier by the second. She stood with her hands balled into fist at her side.

"Uh? Oh, you mean about Deva. I meant neither of us was interested in the other in a sexual way."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Why doesn't it matter anymore?" Frills voice had gone up an octave or two by this time.

"Because Deva is dead," his tone changed from the mocking insincerity of his previous statement, to calm and detached coldness.

Rage flushed Frill's face a deep red and she lashed out at him. All finesse and grace she might have possessed vanished and she more or less swung wildly at his face.

"How dare you! He belonged to me, not you! Why must you always take him from me?!" Kyou froze for the briefest of moments, but it was enough for her to get a punch in. It didn't hurt really, Frill being more into deception and underhanded means of murder wasn't very strong, but it was enough to rock his head to the side. When he righted himself, he expected the assault to restart and was surprised to see Frill standing quietly before him.

Her face was pale with a look a astonished horror etched across it. He followed her gaze to the ring on her finger, still turned inward from when she had used it to kill Sanji. When her fist had connected with his jaw the head of the ring had imbedded itself into flesh of her palm from the force. Blood was welling up from the small cut it left.

"You killed me." she said as she stumbled back

"No. You killed yourself." Kyou told her as she fell to writhe, gasping for air on the floor.

s

When Kyou and Tokino had opened the gate to return to save his family, the computer in Jarvis' lab beeped in a manner that most would describe as pleased. The message it displayed changed to read 'Signal detected. Transmitting.' Laying on the floor, still unconscious Silk gave a little jolt. In her head images flashed by in rapid sequences, in random order. Finally she grasped on to one image. An older man sitting by her bed, reading her a story he had made up just for her.

Loud shouting roused her partially from forced slumber. As she raised her head, her vision wavered in and out. Someone was standing in front of her, but she couldn't focus on them. She couldn't even remember where she was. Had she been sent on a mission from section 2. The man in front of her began to walk away and a horrible fear crawled up her spine. In her eyes she saw her handler. Marco wouldn't abandon her, would he? She couldn't live with herself if she had disappointed him again.

Angelica reached out to him with what little strength she had left. Desperation and fear clouding her mind. Why wouldn't her body move. Darkness edged up around her, dragging her back to the land of nightmares. No, if she lost it now, she would never get him back. With the last of her reserves she lifted her arm out to him. Her last thought, to grab hold of her Marco and never let go. The mechanical arm received the instructions, but had extended to its limit, so it did the only thing it could to see her will though.

s

Kyou had been about to untie Akito, against his better judgement really, while those who were already free began to rise. They were all talking at once, some confused, others trying to figure out what to do next. Tohru was about to run into Kyou's arms, curse or no, and never let him go. She had been so scared. Before she could reach him, however, his eyes widened, and a spray of blood shot from his throat. It coated Akitos shocked face and ripped screams from the younger children.

Slowly he raised a hand to wrap around the long spear-like object that protruded from his body. Before he could reach it his arm lost all strength and dropped to his side. Blood spilled from his lips as his sight tunneled, and he fell backward, driving his body further down on the small lance attached to Silks arm. Distantly, he heard Tokino and Tohru calling out to him.

'Funny,' he thought. 'It doesn't hurt that much.'

s

When his heart stopped beating the shock of the others turned to terror as his body suddenly turned a dark black color. The little girl that had snuck in to help rescue them froze and then followed his lead. Her body raised off the ground as dark purple currents began the jump between the two of them. Their bodies lost shape and began to grow, merging together in a giant writhing mass of darkness. The Sohmas were, rightly so, panicking. Some stared in horrified wonder and others clung to each other in fear. When the mass increased in size sucking everything near it in, even the people, some of them began to run towards the exit. The noise of swirling, kinetic energy was overwhelming and the currents it discharged shattered whatever they touched.

s

Outside the small room where the cursed Sohmas held their private New Year's banquet, the other residents had heard the commotion. Ren, figuring that it was somehow her retched child's doing, had gone to investigate. As she came upon the door, it burst open as the Monkey tried to flee the room. Ritsu didn't get far before he was sucked back into the room, disappearing into a sea of darkness that had finally reached its limit in size.

Ren pressed up against the hallway, her heart pounding in her throat. She turned to run away from the horrible scene when stray bolt of energy hit her. It lifted her from the floor and flung her against the wall were she dropped in a boneless heap.

A soft caress woke her and a gentle, loving voice called her name. She opened her eyes and nearly cried at the sight of her love standing over her, his hand held out to her. She had never seen him look so healthy before.

"Ren," Akira said her name like a prayer, "it's time to go now. To a place were we can be together forever."

"Do you really mean that? Just the two of us?"

"Yes. A paradise just for the two of us awaits."

She smiled and took his hand, letting him help her up. Together they walked away from the house, the Sohmas, the curse, and Ren's scorched body lying on the floor.

* * *

Omake

Cagey Intentions Pt 6

Akito stood proudly in front of the rebuilt cage. And cage it was, this time. Kyou stood next to him staring up at the monstrosity of Akito's devising. The area surrounding the old house had been cleared of all plant life to make room for the new building. It looked like a mini castle of doom. The bars in the window had sharp spiked edges on them, the door the metal one salvaged from before, the walls were reinforced steel. The mote surrounding it had pirahna and the fence around that was electrified barbed wire, on top it had spears.

"I mean, a mote?"

"Your going in and staying in this time. And noone but me can ever see you." Akito was sure he had won this time.

"I don't think so. While I doubt anyone could get out, that just means someone has to be in there in the first place, and I'm not going." Kyou replied.

"Yes you are. Right now!" Akito stomped his foot for emphasis.

"Look, it's been ten years now since we started doing this. The curse has been lifted for more then that.I'm a grown man with a wife and kids and responsiblities. I don't have the time or patience to deal with you anymore." Kyou took a moment to straighten his necktie and smooth out his suit. Then dug in his briefcase before handing Akito a bunch of papers.

Akito looked at the papers dumbly, not having the slightest clue as to what they where.

"Those are court ordered instructions. You are to immediately stop with any and all action against me or my family. By law you can not lock me or anyone in any form of confinement against our will."

"What is the meaning of this? I am god you have to obey me!" Akito screamed furiously.

"Not according to the government you aren't. Try anything and the entirety of the lawfirm I represent will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Further more, this building is in violation of strict zoning laws for this prefecture. I'm afraid you'll have to have it torn down. It would be a good idea to replant the trees you had uprooted as well. You know how sensitive environmentalist can be about that sort of thing." Kyou turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Akito shouted after him.

"It's Sunday. I promised Tohru and the kids we'd go on a picnic, then get some ice cream. You're welcome to join us if you behave yourself." Kyou said. He gave a little wave of the hand without turning back or stopping. Leaving Akito standing there with the stack of papers and a huge debt from the constant remodeling.

Japanese Word of the Day

Nemmatsu - end of the year

Ganjitsu - New Years Day

J-Notes

Jai Guru Deva - this is actually a lyric from the song Across the Universe, by the Beatles and later Fiona Apple. You know, the chorus line that most people have no idea what they are saying, that would be it. It translates as Thank you teacher, Deva is the name of the teacher who taught communing with nature and all that spiritual, yogi stuff. The end of the line is 'om', which is the sound that you make while meditating. It is supposedly the sound of the universe and by intoning it you will achieve harmonization with all things in existence. I left out that part because it wasn't necessary for this fic.

Character Bio

Deva

Deva comes from a world that was much like the old Greek empires. Think 300 only without the well oiled muscle men in loin clothes. As a scholar he worked for the local university teaching theology. Kyou took his class as a way to avoid being in the military. He gave the excuse that he was a traveler looking to learn the teachings of the world to explain his clothes which at the time of his arrival were far too modern, thus suspicious. As a student he was exempt from certain laws and punishments. He quickly became friends with Deva and his family after being the only student to fully comprehend Devas theory about plains of existence. Deva was away when war broke out with the neighboring country. When he returned he found his family dead and his home demolished. Kyou, feeling sorry for him, offered to take him with to the next world. Deva agreed but the trauma of his families brutal deaths was to much on his mind and he slowly went insane. Now all he wants is to find the portal to the heaven his loved ones went to. He plans on overthrowing the gods to revive his family and make a new world where they rule on high.


	16. Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: And they all died. It was a fun story and it will be missed. Now, on to my next story. Tokino will get a lot more page time, cause she's the main character.

I don't think so, brat. Get back in my head, where you came from.

I thought I came out of Master's brain, not yours.

Only because I put you there. Now, go. Anyway, now that I'm done fighting with a figment of my imagination, the real authors notes...damn, I'm going to run out of room for the chapter. Never mind.

Title: Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

* * *

So in this world, there is a giant alien dome cutting off an entire city from the rest of the world. I am not getting mixed up with this one. I've had enough excitement lately. –excerpt from Diverging Paths. A Drifters Diary.

s

Ritsu knelt, alone just on the inside of the expansive nothingness that was the gate. Shaking, he peered around him. He didn't know how, but it was all his fault. He should have tried to stop it, he should have known, understood. Understand what, he wasn't sure, but that didn't matter...because somehow, he had let everyone down. Everyone was gone and it was all his fault for being useless. A cold weight fell on his shoulder, making him jump back. He found himself standing face to face with a child. All color was washed from the small boy, save for his eyes which glowed red, staring off into the distance with a dead, haunting expression. Words flitted across Ritsu's mind as the boy's mouth formed them, even though no sound left his lips. Ritsu collapsed to his knees with the weight of their impact, and cried. The hysteria building in his mind seeped away, and he calmed.

s

Kisa was alone. She figured she should be used to it. She was often left to her own devices by her peers. Only a few ever really listened to her. Hiro, Haru, and recently Tohru and Tokino. But Hiro wasn't here and Tokino was...Tokino was dead. The only friend she had at school would never again smile at her. Tokino would never again tell weird stories to cheer her up or wait for her outside to walk together to school. No one would sit beside her and play with her during break. No one else really understood her or even liked her. She was a nuisance, weak and always needing someone to protect her. Inconveniencing others with her troubles. Maybe it was for the best she couldn't find them. She'd just cause problems. A hand wrapped around her wrist and she let out a scream before turning to it's owner. She met with a blank face and lifeless eyes that glowed red. The boy spoke without making a sound, yet she could hear him all the same. What he said brought a sense of comfort and tears coursed down her face. Kisa felt warm and the loneliness left her.

s

Rin screamed out again, calling to anyone who might hear her. Why didn't anyone answer? Couldn't they hear her? Did no one want to help her? Of course not, they never had before. They just didn't get it. If they could find away to break the curse they would all be happier. She and Haru could be together without Akito interfering. Maybe even her parents would be happy with her. Did none of them understand that they were trapped, that freedom was just beyond their fingertips. Why didn't anyone want to help find the way. Did they like being cursed, being caged within the boundaries of the Sohma family. It made her so mad. A fleeting touch ghosted over her hand. A child cast in shades of grey reached out to her, his eyes red and vacant. She watched his mouth move, and words drifted though her head, in a voice that wasn't hers. She brought her hands up to her face as their meaning sunk in. The feeling of hopelessness fled and relief took it's place.

s

Hiro had tried to find Kisa, and when that failed, Rin. Then, eventually the desperation became so great he would have been happy to find Akito if it meant he wasn't alone. He stopped his frantic searching and tried to calm his breath. He would not get scared, he was not a child. He couldn't afford to be. Everyone was depending on him to be strong. How else was suppose to protect Kisa or his mother or Rin. But then, Rin wouldn't let him protect her. He needed to prove to her he was strong, an adult. Then he could save them, from Akito, from the curse, from themselves if need be. Because no one else would, he had to...he wanted his mother. He didn't like being alone anymore. A presence behind him caused him to start. A little boy, younger than him stood there. The child reached up and grasped his hand. It was as if he had stepped out of a black and white television. When he spoke there was no sound, and yet Hiro heard him clearly. He tried not to cry, but a tear slipped free to roll down his cheek. Hiro didn't need to worry anymore, everything would turn out alright.

s

Ayame had first started by looking for a way out of the nothingness surrounding him. When that had yielded less then positive results, he had looked for Yuki, knowing his brother had been over taken as well. His little brother, being the unaccommodating sort, had ignored Ayame's desire to find him. It was his own fault, really. Reap what you sow, and all that. He wished Mine was with him. She always knew how to make him feel better. He didn't have to be flamboyant, and in your face to get her attention. Mine didn't pretend to love him, nor did she see him as a means to a high social standing. He didn't have to be anyone but himself when he was with her. If he was upset she let him rest his head on her lap and she would listen to his woes while stroking his hair. Exhausted and weary, Ayame dropped to his knees and flopped sideways. He was expecting hard, solid ground and a headache, what he got was someone's lap. Not Mine's of course, it was way too small to be hers, and anyone he could think of off hand, as far as he had known he was by himself. He twisted his head to look up at the person he was currently inconveniencing with his presence. It was a child, of all things, that looked down to meet his eyes. What shocked Ayame most, though, was that the boy had no color. His skin, clothes, hair, everything about him was cast in shades of grey. Except his eyes which were the color of blood. The child's mouth moved but nothing was voiced. Instead, Ayame felt the words much like he did with the snakes. The guilt he felt over Yuki and the emptiness he felt without Mine all but evaporated.

s

Momiji hadn't bothered to call out to anyone. Somehow he knew it was pointless to do so. He also knew it was useless searching for a way out. There wasn't one, so why look? He was stuck here, possibly for the rest of his life. Which considering there was no food or water around that wouldn't be to long. His only regret was that he would never be able to look in on his family again. As he sat down, he began to contemplate all that he had and would miss out on. He would never see what Momo would look like all grown up. He'd never get to hear his mother say good morning or have a nice day when they occasionally bumped into each other on his way to and from school. Even if she didn't know who he was it had made Momiji happy to hear. He had always hoped that one day she would remember, that they'd be together and happy as a family. It didn't look like that would happen now. He didn't even know what had happened or where he was. He was beginning to think that maybe everyone was actually dead and this was hell, when someone sat down next to him. A boy, maybe five or six, was crouching next to him. At Momiji's sudden movement the child looked at him. Looked, being that his head stayed facing forward and down slightly, with only his eyes moving in Momiji's direction. The boy began speaking, or perhaps not, his mouth moved but no sound issued from it. Either way, Momiji understood every word. The despair and sense of abandonment that, moments ago, had clung to him like a wet blanket, disappeared.

* * *

Omake

With a Side of Fava Beans

Ah summer vacation had come again. Last year it had been a trip to the beach, this year Shigure decided to treat everyone to something even better. A trip to a foreign country. He had a book signing here as a promotion to raise foreign sales, but really this backwater country was quite boring without the boys and Tohru to liven things up a bit. Right now, they were strolling though a open air market, perusing the venders. It was Tohru's idea to go shopping for souvenirs.

Yuki and Kyou were trying their hardest to ignore the others existence and Shigure was getting hungry. So he did what he does best: whine until they did what he wanted. This was really unnecessary, seeing as they were all hungry and in no mood to complain about a detour for food.

"Let's try that snack cart over there until we can find a restaurant." he pointed out the one he meant.

"I don't know. It's probably best if we didn't eat at one of those. I doubt it's safe. We should just wait until we get back to the hotel." Yuki sounded skeptical indeed.

"You're just afraid of trying something new, lousy rat."

"No, I'm afraid of getting food poisoning while in a foreign country that I don't speak the language of. It's better to be safe then sorry, stupid cat."

"Please don't fight." Tohru interjected. "We can try it and Sohma-kun can wait till later. We don't all have to eat it."

"You're not going to try it, are you, Honda-san?" Yuki asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I wouldn't mind trying the local food. I don't think I'll ever get another opportunity to do so." and with that Yuki caved.

"Fine, let's all try it."

The vendor didn't speak either Japanese or English, which was the only languages the group knew and only Yuki was any good at the later anyway. But together they managed to place an order and were each handed a paper tray with different types of meat covered in a red sauce. It looked and smelled good at least.

Shigure tested a bite of his and when his eyes widened in delight, the others began to eat.

"This is really good. I wonder what type of meat this is. It's certainly not one I've had before." Shigure turned to the vendor and pointed at his tray.

"Moo?" he asked. The vender took a look at the remaining meat and shook his head.

"Woof." he said pointing at Shigures dish. Shigure turned ashen and stopped chewing in mid bite. The vender pointed to Kyou's tray and said,"Meow."

By now, the others had all stopped eating as well and we're looking at their own trays. Yuki held his out in question.

"Squeek." the vender said. Then to Tohru he smiled and nodded his head, " Ah, Woof." he stated matter of factly. Tohru wasn't sure what to say to that. She began to tremble as she turned watery eyes to Shigure.

"Let's just forget about this ever happening and go to the hotel shall we?" Shigure said. He was nevously laughing as he spoke and trying to hide the fact that he suddenly wanted to throw up.

"Yes, let's just go. I told you this was a bad idea." Yuki stated as he turned away to look for a place to dispose of the rest of his order. They started to go when they realised they were one short. They looked back to see Kyou standing there, a strange look on his face as he continued to eat.

"You aren't still eating it? Even after knowing it's made from cat?" Yuki asked, disgusted.

"But, it's really good." There was a hint of whiny sadness in Kyou's voice as he took another bite.

"Hey, if you're not going to finish yours, can I have it?"

Japanese Word of the Day

Nayami - trouble, suffering

Kudamono - fruit


	17. Lonesome Folly

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: This was originally part of chapter 16, but to even out the count I decided to divide it into two parts. I think it's more poignant that way, too.

Title: A Stray Child from the .hack/sign soundtrack

* * *

Tokino has become completely absorbed in this online game called the world. I might check it out for myself, it sounds fun. She keeps telling me about a rumor that there is a kid who never logs out. It's probably just a npc. - Excerpt from Broken Bridges. A Drifters Diary.

s

Kureno supposed he should be trying to find the others. He also figured he should be worried, but for the most part he was just confused. Akito would have made some sort of mean spirited comment about how he should be used to the feeling, but Akito wasn't here. That's why Kureno was confused. She had been there a moment ago, now Akito and everyone else was gone. He was alone. Kureno was used to being alone, Akito didn't like him interacting with the others. She got mad when he did, even if it was necessary at the time. She wanted them all together forever, but at the same time didn't want them to be together. Speaking of being together...his thoughts turned to Arisa Uotani. He really did like her, but he had promised not to leave Akito's side. He didn't know what to do about it. Of course, if he stayed here he wouldn't have to worry about it, but he didn't want to stay here. A tug at his sleeve drew his attention from his thoughts which were rapidly working on being contradictory. Kureno sucked in a surprised breath. He didn't wonder at the child's colorlessness, but rather listened intently to the words his ears couldn't hear. When the boy's mouth stilled, Kureno felt the confusion slip away.

s

Hatori could erase people's memories, and turned into a small aquatic life form when hugged by girls. Despite this, he wasn't big into the supernatural or the mystical. In fact, he was quite the skeptic. Hatori figured it was time to rethink his opinions on such matters. What he had just witnessed didn't leave much room for doubt, neither did being ducked into a limitless void of nothingness. He looked around at the emptiness that stretched on for an eternity. A normal person would, perhaps, be bothered by it all, but Hatori had been careful to live in a state of nothingness most of the time since Kana. Strange that he should think of her now, or maybe not. He was starting to feel unhinged slightly. Would he go mad if he stayed here too long. He supposed he would. A small hand wrapped around one of his fingers and he looked down onto the head of a child, that seemed to have stepped out of an photo from before they could take colored ones. The child looked up at him with a distant expression, like he wasn't really looking at him. The whole image reminded him of the time he watched Shindler's list on the international film channel, only it was the boys eyes that were red instead of a coat. The boy worked his mouth as though he were speaking, but Hatori felt the words more then heard them. Hatori smiled gently as the rising resentment and bitterness vanished.

s

Hatsuharu had been calm at first and just simply wandered about. In the beginning he figured that he'd run into someone or something sooner or later. When, after a time, all he encountered was, well, nothing, he had gotten angry. So he had stormed and stomped about looking to relieve his ire. It quickly became apparent, however, that no one was going to show up for him to fight. Eventually, his black side subsided, but he was left feeling unfulfilled. Where was that stupid cat when you needed him. Oh, that right, he was dead. Haru had seen it happen. That was a shame, Kyou was good to have around for when he wanted a good match. So if that was all Haru wanted from him, then why did it hurt so much to think about? Of course, they had been good friends once, maybe not best friends, but friends none the less. Kyou had always been ready to help him with whatever he needed. A sparring partner, or a guiding hand, or a homework assignment. Why had he stopped seeing him as a friend? Haru didn't need to think too long on it. Yuki had told him something, that as memory served him now, Kyou had told him in a more blunt way before. He hadn't listened to Kyou, but then he turned around and made it his life long duty to be by Yuki's side. Why? Because everyone said the rat was the best and smartest and the cat was nothing but an hideous blight on the family. Which now that he thought about it meant he hadn't really been listening to what either boy had said. Being with the rat made him look smart by association, and then he had actually grown to feel sorry for the boy. He hadn't meant it as the betrayal that Kyou had taken it as. Maybe if Haru had simply explained it. Maybe if he hadn't chosen sides, but been a friend to both they all could have gotten along.

Then there had been Rin. Rin who had been by _his_ side since before either of the others. Rin who hadn't liked either of them. Whatever her reasons, he had the suspicion that it had to do with Haru being in danger of Akito getting mad at him for hanging out with Yuki and as for Kyou, the general opinion wasn't favorable and she reacted according to how the adults taught her to. In her mind, it probably didn't help any that someone who was supposed to be beneath her had gotten a caring father figure while she was stuck with parents who hated her. Of course, there were others who cared about her, Haru blamed himself for not trying harder to make her see that. He shouldn't have kept quiet, he shouldn't have selfishly chosen one over the other. Nothing he ever did was right. He was an idiot, a stupid, foolish ox, just like everyone said. Haru thought that this guilt thing sucked. One of the chains on his pant leg jangled as something caught on it. Turning around to find the culprit, Haru froze. The boy clutching at his leg looked up at the sudden moment and Haru was taken aback. Even Yuki was never that pale, nor had his eyes been that empty. If Haru was surprised when the boy's words skipped the usually stop over at the ear and went straight to his brain, then he didn't show it. His shoulders did relax though, when the feelings of guilt and incompetence went away. He bowed his head as held back his tears.

s

Kagura was crying. She had every right to, someone she cared for deeply was just murdered in front of her. She wanted to share the pain she was feeling, she wanted to scream and destroy things. She wanted to hurt the person responsible, but they weren't here now. No one was here and so with no other outlet for her sorrow, she cried. She loved him so much. She could have moved on if she had just lost him to Tohru, but not this. This was too much. This wasn't fair! She hugged her homemade backpack to her chest in her grief. Clutching to it tightly in the way she could never hold him again, so she cried. In her sorrow she forgot about the small tear in the pack that she was planning on mending when the festivities allowed. A pen slipped from the rip and rolled away. Kagura, latching on to anything, even something as minute as a wayward pen to distract her from her pain, reached out to retrieve it. A hand that didn't belong to her beat her to it, picking up the pen and holding it out to her. Her sight followed the colorless arm up to the, equally, colorless face. Well, not entirely without color. She gave a shiver as she looked into his eyes. Then, the boy 'spoke' for lack of a better term, and all her sorrow began to disappear. Suddenly everything would work out in the end.

s

Shigure had no idea what was going on, and he hated it. His last memory was of chaos. People running and screaming, blood everywhere and someone sobbing. Then, nothing, quite literally nothing. All around him was empty, not even a sound to fill the void, safe for his own voice when he chose to speak. When he had tried calling out there hadn't even been an echo. What was he going to do now? He needed to calm down and form a plan. First he would locate Akito, she must be beside herself at the moment, especially if she was lost and alone like he was. Yes, Akito first, then the others, the living ones anyway. Not that he didn't care about Kyou, it's just that the boy had nothing to worry about anymore. All his cares were over the moment his last breath past in a bloody gurgle. The rest of them were still alive, he hoped. Shigure really had no way of knowing. Maybe they were all dead after all. He froze as a realization floated across his mind. If everyone who knew about the curse died, but the rest of the family was still alive, what would happen? New children would be born baring the curse, but no one would be there to explain it to them and their parents. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing when he consider it.

It was those before them that imposed the qualities and characteristics on the next generation. Without that influence, would the children be free to be themselves? The zodiac story would still be there, would anyone know it's significance? The rooster was gone from the current generation, would it remain free of them? What of the cat? How would it be treated? Would the next group, ignorant of the past, succeed were he had failed? Would they figure out what he had? Would they know the dark truth behind the curse? If he had known that he would die in an emptiness devoid of everything he would have left a note at least. A hand reached out and grasped his arm. For a second he thought maybe it was Akito. Shigure was only slightly disappointed that it wasn't. Instead he found a waif of a child clutching his sleeve. Was it the a shade of another who met the same fate as he? Was this what the void would do to him after awhile? Then, so be it if it was. The child looked up at him, his eyes a vibrant contrast to the rest of him, and yet not. They may have had color, but no life to them. Words began to sweep across Shigure's mind as the child's lips formed them. All the feelings of regret and anxiety were swept away. Shigure pulled the child close and held him tight.

s

Yuki was about to panic. An attack was coming, he could feel it building in his lungs. This place was bringing up all the fears and insecurities from a life time of too high expectations and childhood abuses. He knelt on the ground that didn't really exist except that he stood on it, and tried to calm his heartbeat. It wasn't working, his breath burned his lungs, and his throat was closing up. Where was everyone? He didn't want to be here, alone and abandoned. But everyone hated him, even the ones that spoke so highly of him. They didn't really care, no one did. He wanted someone, anyone to hold him and tell him it would be okay, that everything that happened since that morning had been a bad dream. He wanted...he wanted...a hand to pat him on the head? He looked up confused, he hadn't sensed anyone approaching. The boys neck was bent, obscuring his face from view. He spoke in a way that Yuki could hear him without the boy making any sound. "It's alright. I don't hate you. I was angry and didn't understand. Let's start over from the beginning." The child looked up at him now and he drew in a breath, finding he could do so freely again. The bad feeling were washing away. From the depths of his mind a memory surfaced and Yuki knew what he should do. "Your all alone aren't you. Let's be friends, then neither of us has to be alone anymore." The boy hesitated, then slowly reached out his hand and Yuki happily took it. "I'd like that very much." Color abruptly returned to the child and the world around them wasn't so empty anymore.

"I know you," twelve voices echoed each other.

"No, you don't. Not really. But we still have time to fix that, if your willing."

* * *

Omake

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...?

It was a nice, peaceful Sunday afternoon and many young folk were out enjoying a day away from their studies. The sun shone brightly though the the windows of the local hospital as it's inhabitants, patient, employee, and visitor alike, seemed to cheered by it's presence. Until the screech of outrage, followed by an roaring clattering and door slamming, destroyed the pleasant atmosphere.

"And don't come back, you perverted ox." echoed down the hall.

Monday was going about fairly normal as far as the Sohmas were concerned, until lunch when Hatsuharu decided to eat with Yuki.

"What happened to your face?" Yuki asked as he stared at the bruises marring the other boys features.

"It warms my heart to know you feel concerned for me." Haru said by way of avoiding the question.

"I don't. Don't read to much into it. Saturday you were fine and today you look like you tried to take on Godzilla by yourself. Anyone would wonder. You didn't try to attack Kyou again did you?" Yuki resisted the urge to poke one of the bruises on Haru cheek. It kinda looked like a hand print.

"Well, you see. I though maybe it would be fun to try out the manga trade. So I wrote up a story line, but I can't draw worth shit. Then, I realized that Rin doesn't have anything to do while she's in the hospital and she is good at art. But, I guess she didn't like my idea very much." Haru sighed.

"Well, why not? What was it about?" Uotani asked, bringing herself and the rest of the group into the conversation.

"Why not go ahead and show them, Haru?" Momiji giggled. It almost sounded evil how he said it. Haru shrugged and handed out a couple of papers to everyone.

"It's a superhero, action/thriller."

As they began to read the summary and character descriptions, it dawned on Yuki that the characters were based off of the family. Haru being the main character, Rin the love interest, and what could be Akito as the villian. That, however, wasn't the problem. It was the summary and names. Yuki felt the tick in his left eye begin to go off.

"Oh my. This is certainly an interesting idea." Hanajma brought up one hand to cover the wicked smile on her lips.

"I can see why Rin would be pissed off at you." Kyou dead panned.

"I'm gonna guess you hang out with the pervert author. Try anything like this with Tohru and I'll have to hurt you." Uotani handed back the paper she and her friends had been reading. Momiji just continued to giggle uncontrollably.

On the sheet of paper was the layout for the adventures of The Anal Avenger and his lover Bukkake Girl as they battle the evil RapeMaster. Momiji caught sight of the words and lost all decorum, rolling about on the ground laughing. Tohru looked at Haru's bland expression, Momiji having his fit, and the beet red faces of everyone else. Their was something she was confused about, but wasn't quite sure how to go about asking. Well, she supposed it was best to just straight out ask in that case.

"Um, what is bukkake?"

Silence and paled faces was all she got in reply.

Japanese Word of the Day

Muzai - innocence

Kago - basket


	18. The Frost Killing Hour

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: So many inconsistencies, improbabilities, and loop holes in the manga. It leaves so much to the imagination, so I let mine run wild. Tohru's childhood story especially just didn't add up. She had just been chased and picked on by a bunch of young boys, noone would randomly follow after another boy that they didn't know with out a very good reason the next day. So I fixed it up a bit, in a way that I liked. Because I like Kyou and in case you haven't figured it out, I despise Yuki. I ran Yuki though a Mary Sue litmus test, he scored 132. That was just the two sections that applied to him and excluded the question that were geared toward the creator. A score of 50+ told you to 'kill it dead'.

Title: My Skin by Natalie Merchant

* * *

I haven't written anything in awhile now. I've been busy, I suppose, staying under NERV's radar. Now that we've left the messed up world I don't have to worry about it. I think we got out of there just in time too. Weird shit was starting to happen that I just know I wouldn't have wanted to get involved in. I could deal with the constant Angel attacks and the Eva's destroying the building we lived in, but the creepy little girl and all her clones liquefying people was too much. –Excerpt from A Cat's Eye View. A Drifters Diary.

s

When the blackness overtook her Tohru had closed her eyes tight from fear and it had taken several minutes for her to convince herself to open them again. In fact it was the voice of a young girl calling her name that encouraged her. She was awed and scared when she found the world around her had been whitewashed. The only thing that kept her from screaming and closing her eyes again was Tokino standing next to her. Hadn't Tokino died though. Tohru, confused and not wanting to insult the girl with her ignorance chose a safer opening line.

"Where are we? Weren't we at the main house? Was all of that a dream?"

"Technically we still are at the main house, but not really. It's hard to explain to someone without a degree in dimensional physics. Don't worry though, you're still alive and unharmed and someone should be around to find you eventually." Tokino reassured.

"Um...okay, I guess." Tohru looked around and wrung her hands together to work off the nervous energy building in her. If there had been something here she might have had an outlet for all of it, but the place was pretty much empty. Tokino watched her fidget and decided to help the girl settle herself a bit.

"Tell me a story, Tohru. It will make time go by faster."

"What do you want to hear?"

"It doesn't matter. How about a story from your childhood."

"Um...Okay. A story from my childhood, let's see. Oh, I know. When I was little I didn't have any friends and I was very lonely. Then, one day my mother told me she had met someone very special. She had made friends with a little boy my age. She called him Jari because he hadn't told her his name yet. She said he was shy like me, and a good listener. Mother said she would like it very much if we could all play together someday. I liked hearing about him, she even showed me a picture she took. Do you believe in love at first sight? I do, silly I know but, as long as I had it I didn't feel alone. Then, one day a group of boys from the local park started to chase me. I ran for a very long time and when they finally stop I realized that, I had gotten lost. I waited all night long, scared and alone. The next morning as I waited for my mother to find me and saw a boy that appeared around my age standing there looking at me.

"I was afraid at first that he was one of them, but then I noticed that he was wearing the same cap as the boy in the picture was wearing. I hoped so much that it was him, but when I reached out to him, he ran away. I was certain it had to be him and I wanted to tell him how much I liked him. I chased after him always catching up just when I thought I had lost him. When I finally called out to him he had stopped and I realized that we were in my neighborhood. He put the cap on my head and I saw that it wasn't who I had thought it was. Not only was he not the person I wanted, but he had overshot my house by half a block. I was so upset that I ran back to my house and cried in my mothers waiting arms.

"After that day my mother no longer saw the boy I had believed the other to be. But she told me that he had promised to protect me. As long as I knew he was out there, watching over me, I wasn't alone. The knowledge of his existence gave me courage. I guess I wanted him to have found me so badly that over time I came to view the other boy as him. I know that the hat I have belongs to the child in the picture, mother told me so, and I want to return it to him someday. To tell him how much he meant to me, my first love."

"So why haven't you?"

"Because that day I finally found him, so much happened and when we were alone, I was so nervous that I used the wrong words. I'm afraid that now, he won't believe me. That he will think I'm like all the others. That I'm not talking about _him_, that I don't see him for himself."

"How do you feel about him now?"

"Everyday, since we first met, my love for him grows more and more. Even the parts of him that he thinks are ugly or bad. Because I want all of him and they are a part of him."

"That makes me so happy to hear."

"Why?" Tohru looked closely at Tokino. It was as if she had never seen her before. "Who are you?"

"The simplest explanation would be to say that, I am a fragment of Kyou's heart."

s

"Well, now this is interesting. Are you perhaps a vengeful spirit, come to torment me for my failure?" Kazuma asked the child approaching him. The past version of Kyou stopped a few steps away as though he hit some sort of wall and couldn't move forward. Kyou stood there, his face downcast as he began to shake. Despite knowing that this couldn't be the real Kyou, Kazuma wasn't able to stop himself from going to the boy. Kyou reached out and began to speak. "Why wouldn't you give it to me? I want it. Aren't I good enough? I try, I do."

Kazuma reached the apparations side and knelt before him. "What is it that you want?"

A sudden, sharp pain sheared though him. His eyes widened as he stared down at the point the boys arm had pierced though his chest. Kyou looked up at him with a feral predators grin.

"I want your heart."

Though the pain and slight sense of fear Kazuma tried to make sense of the words. What could he want with a human heart. 'No, that't not what he means' he realized then that the pain wasn't the kind he should be feeling with this type of injury. It wasn't physical, it was something deeper, harsher. He had tried to make it clear with his actions, but words were important too. He should have said something, he shouldn't have kept that secret. A horrible thought occured to him then.

'I can't ever tell him what I did. He's gone now.' he looked at the child in front of him as he felt the tiny hand clench around his heart. 'If I can't tell the real one, then at least I can tell this one.'

He wrapped his arms around the child and drew him into his embrace. "If it means that much to you, then you can have it. It's belonged to you for a long time now." At his words the grip loosened, and the pain lessened slightly.

"Don't lie. You only cared for me to alleviate your feelings of guilt. You never really saw me as anything but a convenient tool for your conscience." The pressure returned.

He felt his life leaving him, but the words he needed to say wouldn't form on his lips. Then, the white nothing that surrounded them began to fall away to reveal a scene of the past. It was midday and he was standing in a loby of a government facility. The secretary smiled brightly as she handed over a recently approved document.

"It's official now. Congratulations. I wish it wasn't a school day. I would have liked to have met him."

"Yes, but this is for the best. You see, I'm afraid I haven't mentioned what I have done to anyone yet."

"He doesn't know yet? I'm sure it will be a great surprise then." the image faded to be replaced with echoes of Kyou's own voice. 'He's not my father. He's just someone who takes care of me! So shut up!' and other variations of those words. As they faded away Kazuma could sense the boys confusion.

"What was she talking about? What did you do?" The pressure was lessening again.

"I was your legal foster father, not just someone who took you in. That day your biological father signed away all parental rights to you. As such you were considered a ward of the government, which means that if someone, say myself, wished to adopt you they could do so as long as the welfare services agreed that I was a fit and able parent. I didn't need the permission of the main house or Akito as much as they would have liked to think so, nor did I have to tell them what I was doing.

"Likewise, when you graduated, you would have still been seventeen and not a legal adult. If I had decided to, say leave the country and not come back, I would have had every right to take you with me even at yours, or others protest. I don't know when I started to see you as my son, but I have always wanted only what was best for you. If you didn't want me as a father, then I respect your wishes in that matter, so I didn't tell you. Though I must apologize. You see, I'm a selfish person so I never had the adoption nullified."

There was silence on the other's behalf and Kazuma thought that perhaps he had been wrong in his interpretation of the hand in his chest. Then, slowly the hand relinquished it's hold of his heart and pulled away. It didn't hurt as Kyou's arm dropped away and there was no bloody hole left on its exit.

"They were saying bad things about you because of me. I just didn't want to hear it anymore. I just wanted them to stop. That's why I said those things. I didn't mean them, I didn't want them to be true." Finally, having given voice to his thoughts, Kyou returned the embrace.

"Since the day you first came to live with me, not one day had gone by in which I would not have been proud to call you my son."

"Thank you, father."

Kazuma felt the solid form in his arms vanish and he was alone again. The memory from right before this place came back to him, and he felt sorrow and relief all at the same time. Kyou was dead, but at least he had gotten the chance to tell him the truth. He had no regrets.

s

Akito ran has fast as she could, screaming all the while. At first it had started out just like everyone else. Just a sea of blank space, then slowly as she had begun to panic in her isolation, the world around her had begun to darken. Turning to grey then black, the ground rising up around her ankles in the form of a sea of blood. Creatures, vaguely resembling humans and animals alike rose up from within it, calling her name, reaching for her. They would pull her down into the depths to never return if they caught her, so she ran with all her might though the thick sludge covering her feet.

The creatures were gaining on her, and desperation gave her speed, but upon looking in front of her see saw only more terrifing things awaiting her. Ahead of her, bound to piers and stakes that reached high above her head, were the cursed. They were lined up like royal guard waiting her procession, six across from each other. Each and every one of them was dead, their faces displaying in a rictus of pain. At the end of the line facing her was the cat. His was the biggest monument, his arms nailed to it, his body wrapped with razorwire, his head hung low at an unnatural angle, and blood poured down from the large hole in his thoat to feed the river she stood in.

Much to Akito's growing horror, Kyou raised his head and looked at her, despite the fact that his eyes were rolled to the back of his head.

"Release me." his voice was a harsh, dry whisper, but she heard him loud and clear. Soon the other twelve joined him in plea. Forgetting about the monsters chasing her, she backed away. The creatures from before rose up once again and grasped hold of her arms and legs. She shrieked as they pulled her under, the blood of the river flooded her mouth swallowing all sounds she made.

She awoke with a jolt and looked around her in wide eyed fear. She relaxed as she realised she had just fallen asleep sitting up at the New Years banquet. The formalities were over and her chosen were mingling with themselves across the room. Except Yuki, the boy was still sitting next to her staring at the others with a empty expression. Boring as always. At least he wasn't still annoyingly coughing every fifteen minutes this time.

Akito tried to remember which one of the others its year was, but right now it alluded her. Horse maybe, sheep. Not that it really mattered to her, so she gave up figuring she was still tired even with the impromptu nap she just had. She was more irritated that no one had thought to wake her up. Why were they all over there instead of by her side anyway. Didn't they know they should be offering her praise instead of chatting about their school classes.

At least her favorite was still by her side, she turned to look at Yuki and tell him how appropriate it was that he knew his place, but when she looked at him she was so fed up with his face that she turned away. He was staring longingly at the others, as if he didn't want to be there. The little ingrate. The rat was favored by god, he should be pleased to be with her.

"But why should he be pleased to be with someone who doesn't want him?"

Akito looked up at the person who had questioned her. He was a young looking man, maybe in his late twenties, with long, flowing hair and old style nobles' robes.

"I do want him, he is my favorite, so he will never leave me." she answered.

"Really, how do you figure that he is the one you want? Neither of you look very happy right now."

"Because he is the rat and I am god, the rat is god's favorite, therefore mine."

"Who told you that? How do they know?"

"The maids, my father, everyone. There's even proof."

"Is that so?" he asked, he sounded disbelieving.

"Yes, all the zodiac cried when they first met me. That's the proof that we share an unbreakable bond."

"That was not what I asked? How do you know that the rat was god's favorite and closest friend? Did he tell them all this himself?"

"Of course not, stupid. I'm god reborn because he died a long time ago, just like the zodiac did."

"Then wouldn't you have known yourself without having to be told?"

"Well...I..." Akito was becoming confused.

"And if they are so close to you and so happy, then why did they cry? You would think that they would have smiled instead. If, you know, they were your choosen ones and your friends. If you are so beloved by them then why aren't you with them right now, talking and enjoying yourself."

"I am enjoying myself. I have the only one I want sitting right next to me!"

"Truly? You decided this because a maid told you that by crying it meant that he was your favorite?"

"Just shut up!" Akito screamed. This man was upsetting her. Why didn't anyone come to defend her, to throw him out of the room?

"It bothers you to think about it, doesn't it. It bothers you because you don't feel the way that main house says you should. Isn't that right?" His voice was smug, and Akito could tell he already knew the answer.

"Yes, all right! I don't like Yuki at all! He never smiles at me, he never has anything interesting to say, he just sits there! It's boring! I want to play outside like the others do, I want to go to school, I want to make up stupid games, and I will have you know that I know someone who didn't cry!" Akito, realizing what she had admitted to, clapped her hands over her mouth, but it was to late.

"Oh, if there was someone you met that was happy to be with you then why aren't they with you, instead of this one?" the man waved in Yuki's direction. Akito followed his arms movement and noticed that Yuki and in fact, all the others still hadn't paid the conversation any attention.

"Who was it? Tell me." the man implored.

"I snuck outside because it was nice and I wanted to play in the garden, but when I got there Kagura was there. She had snuck a friend of hers in and they noticed me. Kagura must have been afraid because she ran away and left her friend, so I was going to tell him to leave. But when I got there I thought that it would be nice to have company. Shigure was at school and I didn't know Yuki then.

"When I asked if he wanted to play with me, he smiled so much. We played by the koi pond and he kept trying to catch the dragon flys, but he'd just let them go afterwards. It was a lot of fun."

"Then why isn't he here now. Why don't you play with him instead of forcing both yourself and this child to be together."

"Because when they found us, they got so angry. They said I couldn't play with him and pulled him away. They hit us, and pulled his hair." the memory upset her, the man could tell.

"Why would grown adults do such a thing to a small child?"

"I wanted to ask Shigure, but when I found him later he was already talking about it. It sounded like he agreed with them, so I didn't say anything. Then my mother told me that it was shameful, how I was willing to jeopardize the family traditions, and Zodiac bond by playing with the cat. He was the only one who smiled at me. They said that was because he didn't belong."

"You are the head of the family, but you let them make all the decisions for you. You even let them decide who you like and don't," the man shook his head in disappointment.

"The maids have to listen to you, you know. If you really wanted to play with me all you had to do was make them let you. And if you had told Shigure that they had hit you, they would have been fired on the spot." Akito looked over at the person who spoke. Yuki had vanished to part unknown, and in his place was the boy Akito had once chased bugs with. "If you had told them to let me in, they would have had to. Since you're the one in charge of the family, not just the zodiac cursed. It's still not to late, if you want to go outside and play. We still can, one more time." he stood and held out his hand for her to take.

"But the world outside is dark and empty."

"It doesn't have to be. Come on outside with me. We can watch the sunrise together, with everyone," he looked her in the eye, hand still outstretched and waiting. At her indecision, he lent down and whispered in her ear.

"Cast us gently into morning, for the night has been unkind. Only together can we see a new day come."

She grasped his hand, and he pulled her up. Smiling he began to drag her along as he ran out the room and down a long and winding hall that seemed to stretch forever. Her legs worked hard to keep up with him and adrenalin raced though her body as her breath burned in her lungs. Behind her, she could hear what sounded like a stampede and knew that everyone was following in their wake. She didn't know where Kyou was leading her, but it was exhilarating all the same. Ahead of them loomed a giant set of double doors with intricate carvings and sculpted brass handles. They stopped at the door, but only long enough pull them open.

Bright light flooded the gloomy house that they had just fled, washing away the shadows and illuminating the world. The sound of a rooster crowed in the distance, signaling the rising of the sun on a new day, just as Kyou had said awaited them. The first of the animals to be freed from the promise turned curse. The other twelve Sohmas, and next to them the other eleven animals and god, walked out into the fresh air of the mountain they stood on. As he stepped forward, the cat held lovingly in his arms, god began to speak.

"Once, along time ago, there lived a man on a mountain, and for as long as he could remember he was alone..." they listened to the true story of the zodiac as they warmed themselves in the sunlight. To hear it spoken for the first time as it actually was, was something none of them had ever imagined. Each animal added their role, and when the end came god set the cat down. One by one they bowed in apology before him until they all knelt head down in supplication. The cat finished the story.

"As they turned away the cat said. If I am to see you again, let it be laughing, surrounded by loving people in the sun. But god and the animals did not want to hear what the cat had to say anymore. So he waited patiently for his words to reach them."

"That was sad, but so beautiful."

Everyone except Kyou spun around with start. Yuki and a few others wondered just how long Tohru and Kazuma had been there. He certainly didn't remember seeing them when they first left the confines of their strange prison.

"I'm so happy you can all be together again." she finished, oblivious to the incredible stares her presence was recieving. Sometime during the story they had all reverted back to their proper ages again. Kagura stepped forward and asked a question that was beginning to form in all their minds.

"Where are we and how do we get back home?"

"Technically, we never left the house," Kyou replied. "Currently we are in a subspace transwarp. A 'gateway' used to travel between different plains of reality and dimensions. If all of you concentrate real hard on being back home then thats where you will go."

"But what about you? What will happen to you when we get back? And what happened to Tokino-chan?" Tohru asked. Kyou looked down and away from her imploring eyes.

"Tokino went back to were she came from, we reassimmilated, so she is a part of me again. But, I can't go back. I died and only exist here, inside the gate, now. I'm sorry, I can't be with you."

Tohru looked away to hide the tears in her eyes, but Kyou gently lifted her chin and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, then drew her into a hug. Their first and last real one with no transformation to interfere.

They were drawn apart by a loud racket coming from god's little menagerie. The animals were all freaking out hissing and growling and chattering. God himself was looking up towards the sky, a worried expression on his face. Following his gaze they watched wide-eyed as dark streaks shot across the sky, leaving what looked like rips, behind. Hatori took a drag from his cigarette and blew out the smoke before asking what was on all their minds.

"I hate interrupt this touching moment, but what is that?"

"The Tweens." Kyou sounded worried when he answered which didn't help assure any of them.

"What is a 'Tween'?" Haru wondered out loud.

"Bad, that's what. The Bureau calls them gate parasites. They are left over material created when someone travels though a gate. They exist between the gate itself, and standard continuum. They only want one thing, to destroy everything they see. Usually when a gate is closed down after use they are destroyed with it, but this one has been around a very long time."

"Left over material from what? Are we going to be all deformed when we get back?" Rin asked, clutching herself.

"The parts of yourself that you don't want. Negative emotions that you cast off, bad feeling that you don't want. Memories and burdens, these things don't always leave the travelers, but when they do they become the Tweens. Right now, this gate has been open and stationary long enough for them to materialize and escape. They will destroy whatever happens to be in their path when they get out. You don't have to worry about going back incomplete, because there won't be a back to go to."

"Is there anything we can do to stop them?" Kazuma asked.

"As we are now?" Kyou studied all their anxious faces, "No."

* * *

Omake

Not Another Loli-con

Kyou stared at the rip in the kimono with a growing sense of dread. It had belonged to Kazuma's mother and every once in a while he hung it out to remember her by and air it out a bit. He had been planning to put it away today but an emergency had called the older man away. So, Kazuma had asked Kyou to do it for him. It hadn't been a big deal, until the sleeve had caught on something, causing the stitching to give out. Kyou could do a quick patch on fight damaged uniforms or otherwise he could go to Kagura or Tohru for more extensive repairs, but this wasn't the average stitch. No, it had to be the invisible kind that was difficult to fix.

He gave a deep sigh as he realized there was only one course of action he could take. Only one person he knew of that could handle the job, and he knew that person wouldn't let him get away with an easy payment for it either. Sending a prayer up to several gods he didn't really believe in, Kyou packed up the kimono and headed out the door.

"Well, can you fix it?" he asked, nervously. The other looked up from studying the damages.

"Sure, no problem..." he could hear the unspoken 'but' and began to tremble at the unholy gleam in the piercing stare.

"What will it cost?" the words burned like acid in his throat.

"Oh, not much. You just have to do us a little favor." Mine smiled deviously at her prey.

"What type of favor?" It wasn't Mine who answered him. Instead Ayame's voice drifted up from behind where he stood at the curtained entrance to the back room.

"You see, we have a bit of a problem. Star Baby magazine, a leader in fashion trends wants to do a feature with yours truly's new line. We had two models picked out and the clothes that will be used were tailored to fit them. The photo shoot is supposed to take place in three hours."

"I fail to see how that's a problem for you. A feature in a top magazine would bring in good business." Kyou replied as he tried to keep an eye on both Ayame and Mine, who had moved into position by the front door.

"Yes it would. Unfortunately, one of the models ate some bad fugu last night for dinner. They were rushed straight to the emergency room and will live. But she still can't move the right side of her body, so we're now short one not so short model."

"You just said 'she'. I don't like that." Kyou said. Ayame ignored him.

" No one we know is tall enough to fit the clothes she was supposed to wear." Ayame draped an arm around Kyou's neck and began to steer him to the back room.

"There you go again with the feminine pronouns. Quit it." again Ayame pretended to not hear his cousins growing concerns.

"My first choice would have been Mine," Kyou looked behind him toward the girl mentioned, seeking help. Instead, Mine smiled evily as she flipped the closed sign and locked the door. Kyou gulped. "Of course my next option would have been my dear brother, but neither of them is tall enough. They would be lost in a sea of fabric. Luckily for all of us you just happen to be around the same height as our poor model. Good thing you haven't grown completely out of that androgynous stage yet."

Ayame flung back the curtain to reveal a display of the clothes to be modeled.

It had been a month since that horrible sound had cut across the mid day in their small city. While the cry's origin had never been revealed most people had moved on with their lives. They would never forget it though, how could anyone forget that soul searing, tormented wail. But that was over and hadn't happened again. Right now, it was a beautiful spring day and Yuki was out on the town, strolling the shops, looking for nothing in particular. His attention was drawn to a squeal of delight delivered from the lips of a girl from his school.

A small crowd had formed, male and female, around a news stand. At the mention of his brothers name, Yuki made his way over to see what the fuss was about. They were all staring, captivated by a page from a fashion magazine.

"Man, I'd do her. She's hot." one of the boys said.

"Like she'd give you the time of day. Get real." his buddy scoffed.

"Pigs." a girl on their right said.

"Anyway, I love that dress. I wish I looked nearly that good in Lolita."

"I wish I was that tall. You don't suppose she is full Japanese, do you?" the girls friend asked. They all looked up when Yuki's shadow blocked out the sunlight illuminating the page.

"Oh, student president. I wasn't expecting to see you out today. What a nice surprise." the girls all instantly began to fawn.

"Look, this is your older brothers store featured in this months issue, isn't it? Maybe you could arrange for him to give us his models number." the first boy suggested. He handed Yuki the magazine and pointed to the girl dressed in pink lace and ruffles that covered the whole page.

Yuki was about to tell them that the industry didn't work that way, when something about the model caught his gaze. She seemed familiar for some reason, even though he was sure he'd never seen her before. Yuki took hold of the magazine and took a long, hard look at her. Past the pomp and floof of the dress, beneath the light dusting of makeup, hidden behind that serene smile, lay a deep, all consuming rage. He could see it see it in her eyes, written in her features. Now that he noticed it, it seemed as if she was trying to strangle the stuffed bear she was holding.

As he contemplated the rest of her face, it finally clicked. He knew that anger, just never on this scale before. It could be no one else, and now that he had figured it out he could plainly tell that wasn't a girl at all. As he continued to stare at the picture of Kyou, he felt something bubble up from inside him. His mouth began to twitch and his stomach tightened. Yuki tried, he really did, but he couldn't stop the gut wrenching laughter from spilling past his lips.

Back at Kazuma's house, Kyou was folding up the repaired kimono and trying not to think about the indignance it had cost him. Just as he finished smoothing out the last wrinkle and was about to put it away, a bone chilling wave ran down his spine. It felt like someone had just walked on his grave. A tortured ripping noise brought him back to reality. His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at the fabric he had clenched when the feeling took over him. He nearly cried as he realized, he had just torn the sleeve of the kimono completely off.

Japanese Word of the Day

Ikioi - power, force, spirit, influence

Mezame - awakened

J-Notes

The Zodiac Story - The one being told by the spirits is the same one that the readers of the original manga get to read at the end of the curse. I kept it because I liked it. The story told at the beginning of the manga is a well known version of how the Chinese Zodiac was formed. The Sohma family and Kyoko, however, leave out the ending. The cat is not left out for beinging late. In fact, when he does get there, God invites him in and tells him to go wash up before he eats. As the cat is cleaning his face the rat wonders by...and the cat eats him. It is for this reason the cat is left out. On a personal note, I'm forced to wonder why the rat wasted the effort. Cats, in my experience, don't show up when their told to anyway. No matter how well trained, a cat will come to you when it feels like, which is usually fashionably late. And yes, you can train a cat. They take to it quite well when their young.

Character Bio

Tokino

Tokino is a bit of a chimera. She tells Yuki, and later Tohru that she is a fragment of Kyou's heart, but not exactly just that. A better description would be his id, but that wouldn't fully cover it either. During the first experience with the gate, the magic from the curse altered it's basic structure in order to preserve the cat's spirit as was the initial terms of the promise. However what happened was Kyou and the cat were sliced and diced on all levels then put back to together. The left over material became Tokino. She had all of Kyou's lost memories, but doesn't really acknowledge them unless something forces her too. Her body was fashioned from the more pleasant memories. Mostly those of Tohru (she has her eyes anime-verse), Kagura as a childhood friend (before she became violent in her affections), and Kyoko, who she got her hair from. No it's not from Kyou, Kyoko had orange hair as well though she admits that it's dyed that color. Little Kyou never knew the real color so he'll always associate her with having orange hair as well. Obviously the cat contributed the ears and tail as well as her wilder instincts, which she has plenty of. When she reassimilated with Kyou at the end, her physical body and all that she learned in it were wiped away. Essentially, she know longer exists. So he is unable to do the things she could that he couldn't before because she learned all those things as a separate person. Likewise, due to memory deterioration he still won't remember much about his life from before the gate. Even if he had kept them from the very beginning it's unlikely that he would still have them by the time he got back. Five hundred years is a long time and he had lots of new experiences to oust and replace the old ones.


	19. Worry Worry Super Scurry

Menseki : Watakushi wa Fruits Basket o shoyuu shimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: Close to the end now. Only the epilogue left after this. I've taken them all though quite the rollercoaster ride. So far Kyou has led the way in this little adventure, now it's the others turn. I've doodle out what a couple of them look like. Maybe some day I'll get around to posting them on my DeviantArt account.

Title: 99 Red Balloons by Bjork, Goldfinger, Blondie, Nena, and a whole crap ton of other people.

Today, just out of curiousity, I asked Hakufu what would happened if the Toshi just didn't fight eachother. Her eyes glazed over so fast it was like someone had clicked the off switch. She wandered away mumbling something about her mother without ever answering me. Later, Kouken gave me the more intellectual response of 'I don't know. It's never happened before.' If they weren't my friends I'd have to hurt them. – excerpt from Sheltered Harbors. A Drifters Diary.

"You said this place will take us were ever we want to go, right? So, why don't we just pick a new world to go to?" Rin suggested.

"But Hana-chan and Uo-chan and everyone else are still out there." Tohru pointed towards a random direction to indicate anywhere but with them. "We can't just leave them. I won't abandon my friends and family." As soon as the words left her mouth she disappeared, leaving the remaining group stunned.

"What just happened? Where is Tohru?" Yuki turned angrily towards Kyou as if he were the reason Tohru had vanished.

"She choose her destination and the gate sent her there. She went back to her friends in our world." Kyou looked worried. "She will be ripped apart if the Tweens get her," he said as his expression quickly went from worried to torn. He couldn't go back to get her himself, but he couldn't make the others do it against their will. He didn't have control of the gate anymore. Damn it, being dead sucked.

"What do we do? Tohru is right we can't just leave everyone else behind while we save ourselves." Kagura yelled out. "We have to do something."

"But what can we do?" Haru asked. His question was answered by the most unexpected person, well, sort of.

"You fight." the Dragon, in it's true form, announced.

"That's easy for you to say, when you were alive you had power to fight with. We are but mere humans. What could we possibly use to defeat a creature we know nothing about, except that they want to destroy us?" Shigure countered.

"Use our power, our strength," the Tiger stepped forward, "We offer it up freely, take it as compensation for all the suffering our selfishness has caused you."

"Yes, instead of existing as separate entities in one body, let us go forth as one. Let us help you protect those you cherish," the Boar added.

"But your dead. What could you do to help us?" Hatori stared at the animals in disbelief. From it's perch on God's shoulders the Cat rose up and stared at all before him.

"More than you could possibly imagine."

"Yumi what are you waiting for? Shut that thing down!" Nevarez yelled as he tried to beat down the creature that was attacking him. The sound of gun fire and screaming in the backround was distracting him from his own battles.

"I can't. Not yet, there is a problem," the frazzled young woman shouted back, her fingers all but a blur on her portable.

"What do you mean you can't. The parasites are spreading all over the place. If you don't shut it down now they'll over take us." As soon as the words left his mouth the gate discharged another energy blast that took the form of a Tween. It sprung forth heading straight for Yumi with it's gaping maw open revealing razor sharp teeth. In mid air, it positioned it's claws for the killing blow. Yumi screamed as she saw her own death approaching. Then, quite suddenly, a crossbow bolt slammed into the creature and pinned it to the nearest wall. It let out a ear splitting screech and vanished into a black mist, leaving the bolt behind.

"Really that's no way to treat a lady. Kids these days have no manners."

Yumi turned to her savior and her mouth dropped open in surprise. A man with sloppy yet short hair and doggish good looks stood in front of the gate. He wore colonial style hunters clothes and a crossbow was slung over his shoulder. What drew her attention, however was the fact that he had claws, a black tail, and dog ears. Strange markings lined his eyes and the backs of his hands.

"Oh no. This is not good, this is so not good. Transdimensional instablity, people are crossing over," in her moment of panic, she burrowed her fingers through her hair and pulled.

"I'm not sure what you just said, or who you are for that matter, but what ever it is I'm sure it's not that bad." the man said. Behind him the gate pulsed and sent out several more energy charges. The blasts shot though the walls and disappeared into the night. Yumi screamed in frustation, ignoring Nevarez as he tried to bring her back to herself.

"What do I do. If I close the gate now the people inside will be trapped in the interlapse between worlds, but if I don't close it the gate parasites will overrun this world," Yumi yanked on her hair harder and Nevarez was about to try smacking her, when the man spoke up again.

"Gate parasites? Kyou-kun called them Tweens. I kinda like the sound of that better. Now, if you don't mind my asking, who are you and what are you doing in our house?" he brought the crossbow up and out from his side and fired without so much as looking where he aimed. The terrifing sound of a Tween dying echoed though the night.

"Kyou...kun? You know the Drifter?" Yumi released her strangle hold on her hair and Nevarez gave the man a suspicious glare. Undaunted the man just smiled in a way that suggested a deceivingly sharp mind.

"Allow me to introduce myself, perhaps you have heard of my literary genius. I am Shigure Sohma and what remains of this house belongs to my family."

As he was about to come up from his deep, exaggerated bow, Nevarez shouted out.

"Behind you!"

The Tween was too close, neither of them could take aim in time. Instead of hitting Shigure, however, it hit nothing. It just stopped in mid air. At the point of impact the air shimmered and the Tween began clawing and biting at it viciously.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings, instead of flirting with strange women," Akito sounded highly affronted and more then a little jealous where she stood, hand outstretched, maintaining the force field.

"It was just a little harmless fun. You know there is only one woman in this world for me. And I must say, she looks beautiful in ceremonial kimono, I like the long hair as well." Shigure answered.

The Tween, noticing their inattention, grinned evilly. It violently shook it's head, and as it did so it's face changed. Akito stared in horror at her own face, twisted into a psychotic fashion. The Tween began clawing at the barrier again, this time shouting.

"He's mine, all mine. You can't have them, you can't have them."

Akito saw red and growled low in her throat. Not really understanding it, but knowing what to do anyway, she closed her hand into a loose fist. The force field she had created inverted itself, encasing the Tween within. She stood tall and proud with a fierce drive she couldn't explain backing her up as it coursed through her.

"No, you don't get to have them. I won't let you hurt my family anymore," she said, suddenly calm. The Tween looked surprised, then Akito clenched her fist and the force field imploded, killing it in an instant.

"Let's go. I'm sure there are others who need us," she spoke as she turned away, "and don't call me beautiful."

Shigure smiled as he dutifully followed after her.

"I call it like I see it."

Satsuki clung to her husband and the nice woman she had been taking to as they listened to the sound of terror beyond the door. It had been such a nice evening too. The annual New Years gathering had been in full swing and, she had been enjoying the attention she had been getting due to her pregnancy. She and her husband had been talking to little Kisa's mother. Satsuki had been trying to remember the womans name when the calamity had started. Rin had stomped off in a huff towards the Zodiac room and not returned. Then the creatures came.

They were horrible looking things. Like a cross between a goblin and a demon. Her husband had grabbed her and Kisa's mother, and dragged them into a small storage room, locking the door behind them. Kisa's mother was shaking and crying, covering her ears against the screaming, and chaos going on outside.

"Oh god, Kisa is still out there. Hiro too." the woman began to sob harder. Satsuki drew her into a hug and stroked her hair.

"Don't worry, Hiro will protect her. They are both strong and I have faith that they will be okay." she tried to keep her voice light and cheery, but she could hear the wavering in it anyway. The door began to shudder and bang, the knob twisting viciously, but the lock held. The banging stopped, only to be replaced by a deep guttural laugh and a tortured scrapping sound. What looked like claws broke through the wood, leaving large holes behind. Something blocked out the light from one of the holes, and a raspy demented call started up.

"Found you, found you. Yummies, found you."

The woman screamed, and Satsuki clung onto her tigher. Her husband grabbed up a broom, and stood in front of them as a barrier. The claws went through the door again, and this time the hinges let off a tortured squeal, then ripped away. The creature tossed the door to the side and smiled menacingly at them. Two more creatures appeared at its side, their long, slobbering tongues hanging out their wide mouths.

"Yummy, yummy. Eats."

Satsuki screamed as they lept to attack her husband. He managed to knock away one, but another had gotten his leg and he went down hard. They tore at his belly and face as he flailed around, trying to fling them away. One of them disengaged and moved towards the cowering women. They turned their faces away as the Tween came at them, when a chain with a wicked looking curved blade on the end, wrapped around it's neck. The Tween the yanked backwards off it's feet and out the door.

The others stopped their attack; faces surprised. Their black, beady eyes narrowed dangerously and moved away from their fallen prey. There was a moment of stillness, then the chain returned and hooked another one. It screeched and clawed at the floor, leaving deep grooves as it was pulled out the way it came in. Shadows moved outside the open doorway, silent and unnerving. Satsuki half ran, half crawled to her husband's side. He was barely moving and covered in his own blood, but he was still alive.

The creature was hissing and making all manner of strange noises and gibberish.

"Oooh, playtime, playtime." it made a harsh, throaty sound that Satsuki interpreted as a giggle, then turned to her. It's eyes gleamed and it licked its mouth. "Eat or play." Kisa's mother got up suddenly, a look of determination on her face. The Tween looked to her and frowned, then looked at the door. Two small figures stood there blocking it's way out. It moved into a position to attack and made for Satsuki. Two things happened then, one, Kisa's mother landed an impressive kick to it's face, and two, the figure on the right jumped into the room. There was two bright flashes of white, a whistling, and the Tween fell dead, it's head going one way, it's legs going another, and it's torso falling to their feet.

The figure that had just saved them came to a rest lightly on her feet. She was wearing something one would expect an exotic belly dancer to be wearing and was holding two long daggers.

"Like we would let you hurt my mother and Satsuki-san." Kisa said as the Tweens body parts evaporated into a thick black mist, that quickly dissipated.

Satsuki looked up at the other figure as he ran over to her and her husband.

"Mom, Dad! We weren't too late were we?" Hiro cried out as he knelt next to her and began to apply pressure to one of the more serious wounds on his father.

"Son, is that really you?" his father asked as he opened his eyes against the pain.

"Yeah, Dad. Are you hurt real bad?"

"I'll live. Nothing a few stitches and some of your mothers cooking can't fix, I'm sure."

"You did a such a good job and you look so hansome in that outfit. But, Hiro, when did you learn how to use a weapon like that. If I had known you were interested in fighting, I would have signed you up for classes." Satsuki smiled. She thought that the chinese clothes looked really good on him.

"This is not the time or place to be worrying about such things. Our lives in danger!" Really, sometimes Hiro just couldn't understand what went on in his mothers head.

"But there's nothing to fear now that Hiro and Kisa-chan are here to protect us. Right?" she giggled as Hiro gave up trying to make her understand the seriousness of the situation.

Across the room Kisa was being held tightly in her mother's arms.

"I was so worried. I thought that those monsters had killed you when they came out of that room."

"It's all right now mom. You'll see, everything will be alright." Kisa reassured. For the first time in her life she was confident in her own abilities. Her mother gave her one more tight squeeze then held her at arms length.

"When did you grow up so fast? And what are you wearing?" her mother finally took in her appearence. Kisa looked down at her own clothes and the striped tattoos covering her sides and legs, and blushed. Whatever her reply might have been, it was cut off by a load roar from the next room. The screaming picked up volume once again, and an enormous crash was heard. Kisa and her mother ran past Hiro and Satsuki, who were lifting the wounded father to a more comfortable position, and out into the hall.

Pandemonium and chaos was what they found.

When the Tweens had first appeared and started attacking people, the bulk of the Sohma clan had run for their lives. Heading for the nearest exit or cover they could find, the Tweens hot on their heels. Bodies were beginning to pile up when Hatsuharu and Rin had appeared. Rin's eyes sought out and found her parents almost instantly. Her mother was a lost cause seeing as most of her was missing. Despite their past actions toward her, she still hadn't wanted them dead. Oh well, what was done was done, she could at least save the seemingly unconcious man.

Rin didn't know where the bow and quiver of arrows came from, just that they were there when she had been released from the gate. That and she knew how to use them even without ever having touched such a thing before. As she drew back the bow, took aim and fired on the Tween gnawing on her fathers leg, she thought perhaps this temporary merger with the animals wasn't such a bad thing. The arrow pierced the Tweens head, the tip exiting it's mouth and lodged in her father's tattered leg. The Tween was gone before it knew what had hit it. Rin walked up to where her father lay and kicked him over onto his back. He was alive, a little worse for wear, but alive non the less. With a sneer, she pulled the arrow out of his leg, no sense in letting a perfectly good arrow go to waste. Judging by the disembodied arm he was holding he had tried to save her mother.

"Guess that means we don't get a happy ending after all." A deadly silence drew her attention to her surroundings. The Tweens that hadn't chased after runaways into the night had gathered around her like starved beasts ready to pounce. They bobbed in place and licked their lips at her, drooling on the floor. Their gleaming eyes never left her face as they cut off all escape. Rin frowned down at them with an air of confidence she didn't know she had, and was fairly certain she shouldn't feel in this situation.

"Don't you have any manners, you little freaks. Don't make messes in other peoples homes." Surprising even herself she fitted three arrows in the bow and let them fly. They felled their targets, but more just took their place. They continued to make their strange jerky motions, and had started making a sound like a chant. Rin gulped and began to get worried when she was finally able to decipher the sounds as 'food food food'. Quite suddenly they all stopped, crouched low and lept at her. She was just about to give it up as a lost cause when out of nowhere half the little monsters disappeared in the same fashion as the ones she had killed.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to try and shoulder all our problems yourself, Rin?"

"Haru?" She blinked at him in surprise. She wasn't sure what to make of the horns and the nose piercing he had aquired, but she was glad to see him, not that he needed to know that. "Nice axe." was what she said. He just smiled at her in a cocky way and hefted the long handled, double bladed creation onto his shoulder.

"Nice tats." he gestured at her neck. She ran her hand over the marking, catching just a blurry glimmer of it in the reflection of his weapon. "Weren't you suppose to be watcing over the kids?"

An angry growling reminded them of their purpose here. Rin seeing the Tweens already on the move, pushed Haru down and prepared to shielded him with her own body. A truly loving gesture, but unnecessary. Something moved out of the corner of her eye and most of the Tweens screeched and disappeared. Before either of them could focus on the blur it had vanished.

"What was that?" Haru asked.

"I don't know and I don't really care. It didn't get them all." Rin pointed to the one remaining Tween in the vicinity. It stared at them as though it was actually thinking of how to attack. That worried them both. Rin fired at it, but it jumped out the way the second before impact.

It looked at them as they watched it's every move. Rin took in all the details for the first time. Noting it's claw like fingers and toes, the hunched way it squatted. It sat in an animalistic fashion, but walked upright. While all of them had been a mottled dark green or brown color, this one in particular had black skin with greyish white stripes. The stare down went on for at least two minutes, each waiting for the other to strike first. Then, it smiled at them.

"Changey time, hehehe." it said. It gave a violent twiched and convulsed, then slowly at first it began to expand. To stunned to move, Rin and Haru just watched as it's feet became cloven, and it's face enlongated. It's ear rounded out slightly and long curver horns sprouted from it's temples. It's arms and body bulked up and short hair, thick and coarse, grew over it's whole body. It's hands remained clawed and a whiplike tail with a tuffed of hair at the end swished back and forth.

The minotaur, now completely transformed, roared loudly and stamped it's hooves. Next to Rin, a truly psychotic laugh erupted forth.

"Oh no." Rin let her head drop into her free hand and groaned. The light in Haru's eyes could only mean one thing.

"If that's how you want to play, big boy, then bring it on. There's only room in this world for one of us and I was here first!"

The minotaur bent forward and pawed at the ground like a bull about to charge. Haru broadened his stance and leaned forward in a good impersonation of a sumo wrestler.

"Stand back tits, I'll handle this one." he said.

Rin barely managed to keep herself from shooting him. He'd pay dearly for the comment, later when he was least expecting it. At the cry of 'Battle!' from Haru the Tween turned mythical creature rushed toward them. Rin stepped out of the way as Haru grabbed hold of the beasts' horns and held tight. The minotaur kept going, not losing stride, and pushing Haru back, though a wall into the next room. And then though the wall after that. Rin stared after and just shook her head in disgust.

"Boys."

Momo had been sent running out of the house when the monsters came. Her mother had told her to go and hide, and not come out until someone she knew found her. Not knowing where else to go she had gone home and hid under the porch, curling up in a ball to make herself even smaller. Now she was trembling from fright, and the cold mid-winter night air. There was a faint rustling and she curled in even tighter until she could make out what vaguely sounded like Momiji calling her name. Still unsure, she peeked out from under the porch and looked for the person calling her.

Seeing a bright mop of blonde hair and a small frame, she smiled in relief. Momo was just about to crawl out of her hiding spot and run to him when she noticed something not quite right about his hands. Lights from the streets cast a dim illumination on Momiji and Momo saw that he was sporting a wicked set of claws instead of fingers. Her breath hitched, and a tiny squeak came out of her. She covered her mouth to hold it in and shrunk back, but it was too late. The monster pretending to be Momiji turned towards her hiding place and smiled.

"Found you. Come out and play!" it shouted.

Momo scooted back farther under the porch. Maybe if she went out the other side she could escape and find safer place to be. She turned and began to crawl to the opposite side, occasionally looking behind her to see if the monster had crawled in after her. She felt hope rise in her as she reached the end. She was about to get out from under the porch when an upside down face blocked her path. She scrambled back as best she could until she hit a support beam.

The monster had Momiji's face but its eyes were solid black and when it smiled at her she could see rows of sharp fangs. It's claws scraped the wood of the flooring as it flipped itself over to land in on all fours in a low crouch. It licked it's mouth and reached an arm in after her and Momo screamed for all she was worth. It claws hooked the sleeve of her shirt and it tugged her forward towards it's slavering maw. Then something large smashed into it's back, squashing it flat. It dissolved to mist right before her eyes leaving behind the thing that had killed it.

The giant mallet was lifted up with ease, and was replaced by a set of rather unique looking boots. The owner bent down and Momo started to cry in relief when real Momiji's face smiled at her.

"You'll be okay now, Momo. I won't let anything hurt you."

He backed away to let her out and then took her hand as they headed around the house and back toward the main estate. Before they left the yard they were blocked off by several more of the monsters. These didn't bother changing their form, they scratched at the air in front of them and made biting motions at them. Momiji moved Momo behind him and adjusted the mallet he held. It was twice his size but he wielded it easily.

The Tweens moved in for the kill and Momiji went on the defense, making short work of them, but their numbers appeared to be multiplying. One sidesteped the battle and headed straight at Momo. She covered her eyes with her arms and instinctively turned to take less damage, when the Tween was belted off course by Momiji.

"Don't you dare think for one second that I'll let you anywhere near my little sister," he yelled after it. His face was set in fierce determination and he was breathing hard from exertion. Momo stared up at his back in wide eyed surprise, almost doubting her own ears. Had he really just called her his little sister*. She had always dreamed of having her own brother, and Momiji was on the top of the list as the one she would pick if such a thing was possible. However, Momo had long ago given it up as being nothing more then a childhood fantasy, an ungrantable wish.

She reached out and pulled on his shirt to get his attention.

"Do you mean that?" she asked, "Are you really my brother?"

Momiji turned to her with a slightly upset expression, and for the first time anyone knew of, he cursed. He hadn't meant to let that slip out. Papa was going to be mad when he found out, and then Hatori would have to erase Momo's memory. Though considering the night's events that might not be such a bad idea. The poor girl was likely to have nightmares for the rest of her life.

"Please say yes." Momo's quiet request snapped Momiji out of his inner thoughts. As he looked at her hopeful expression his heart melted. After all, what Papa didn't know couldn't hurt anyone. He smiled at his sister as he nodded.

"But it's a secret, okay. An evil witch cast a spell on me and I had to be taken away from mama and papa, so you can't tell anyone not even them," Momiji said as his eyes focused on the Tweens that were still alive and regrouping.

"Okay. I can keep a secret, Onii-chan."

Around them the Tweens began to growl and shrink back. Momiji watched as they seemed to lose consistency even. Suddenly they weren't so scary or tough. In fact, he knew that he could easily beat them, no problem. He smiled at them as he lifted the mallet and stood as tall as he could. Behind him Momo picked up a branch that had broken during the fighting and held it like a baseball bat. Her little hands quivered with the effort of holding it. The Tweens actually looked frightened, but gathered themselves and attacked. A useless effort it seemed as they fell away and dissapated with the ease Momiji had predicted. Momo even got in a hit or two, knocking away the strays that managed to break past Momiji's defense.

As the last of them turned tail and ran the two siblings cheered and Momo in her excitement jumped into Momiji's arms. Dropping the mallet, he swung her around in a wide cirlce making her squeal in joy. It wasn't until he set her down that he realised he was still human. He had held her tight in his arms, and not changed.

Yuki wasn't sure why, but the gate had dropped him off in the middle of a street he'd never been on. Sure, Tweens were everywhere, but Kyou had said it would leave you in the spot where you wanted to be the most. Of course he hadn't mentioned the wardrobe change or the whip either, so maybe he didn't know this could happen. At least the old, well-worn jacket was warm, even if it wasn't something he himself would have picked out to wear.

"It's more Kyou's style then mine," he thought out-loud.

"Ya think so. 'Cause I think it's looks good on you."

Yuki spun around and stared at Kakeru and the two girls that were with him. He had been so lost in thought he hadn't sensed their approach. He knew Machi, and had just resently met Maki, Kakeru's girlfriend. They all looked a little worn out, and worse for it.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing outside my house on a night like this. You should be with your family, hiding somewhere, praying for your lives," Kakeru sounded so chipper. Not for the first time, Yuki wanted to kick him in the head.

"If that's what you think, why are you standing out in the street instead of doing all that praying?" Yuki countered.

"Because this is where Machi wanted to be, and it appears that being with Machi is one of the safer places to be. Those creatures act like they want to attack us, but won't actually come near her, so..." Maki explained.

"We've been trying to fend them off of everyone else, now that we have a secret weapon." Kakeru patted his sister on the shoulder.

"I like your hat. It looks good on you," Machi said. Even with the darkness of night, Yuki could make out the blush on her cheeks.

"Thank you," he felt his own face get hot at the awkward moment between them. A loud chattering echoed down the street and from out of the darkness a Tween lept at them, a crazed light in it's gleaming black eyes. Without a thought to what he was doing, Yuki flicked his wrist and the whip sailed though the air. It wrapped around the Tween and with a jerk of his arm he brought it down hard on the pavement. It turned to mist as it died on impact, leaving an impressive sized hole in the road.

"It looks like our 'secret weapon' has lost her effectiveness." Maki said as she grabbed onto Machi's hand and lead the girl away, Kakeru and Yuki hot on their heels.

"That's okay. We got a new one. You saw that move, that was wicked man. I didn't know you were so proficient with a whip. I hurt that you didn't feel I was trustworthy enough to share your fetish with, but I'm glad you decided to share now." Kakeru shouted to Yuki as they ran though the street, a hoard of Tweens in hot pursuit

"You didn't know because I've never used a whip before in my life. And I don't have any fetishes!"

"No need to be shy about it. I know a store that sells BDS&M toys. I'll take you there after all this is finished with. Well, if we're all still alive that is."

Yuki came to an abrupt halt and seethed with anger. He turned to the Tweens giving them chase and the beasts slowed to a crawl.

"Oh, you'll live all right. I'll see to it that these things don't kill you. That pleasure is reserved for me," he shouted as he let fly the whip. The ensuing carnage would have been gory if the Tweens didn't evaporate when they died. All that the other three could do was watch as the bodies flew. At one point, Yuki realised that if he caught one then he could use it to bash several he was finished with them, Kakeru started the girls clapping. After a minute or two of stunned silence, of course. In an unusual gesture for him, Yuki gave him the finger.

"Let's get out of here before more show up."

Kagura was starting to have a little bit of trouble clearing her section of the city. She had taken out the Tweens going after her parents and a couple of other relatives, then moved on out to the rest of the city following the path of destruction and shouting. Now, an hour later, she was getting tired and the Tweens were nowhere close to stopping. She had slowed them down some, but that was it. She was thinking about just laying down, just for a minute, when a horrible screech rang though the night. She looked up and saw and least ten of the creatures descending upon her.

There was a squealing of tires on concrete, a yell, and of them were plowed right out of the air. She took the initiative to take out the remaining ones with her mace. It was more like a giant bonbori* with a single row a spikes around the middle, but it did it's job just the same. The Tweens gone for the moment, Kagura let her weapon rest, head down so she could lean against it. Having caught her breath, she looked around for her savior and got the surprise of her life. Not more then ten feet away, killing the last of the Tweens in the area, was Ritsu.

He actually looked cool, one would easily believe he had been training with the bow staff all his life. There was a confidence in his movements Kagura had never seen in him before. The decorative Chinese cloak with pants really fit him as well. It was elegant and effeminate with just the right amount of masculinity. Behind him in the van used by the onsen, his mother fanned herself. Kagura laughed as his father shouted out random encouragements from behind the wheel.

Ritsu blushed deep red as he help her to stand.

"I think this area is secure, want a ride to the next?" he gestured to the van.

"That would great. Did you guys drive all the way from the hot springs?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave everyone here while I hid at home. There wasn't anything going on up there, but when I told mom and dad what happened they insisted on driving. When we reached the city limits my clothes changed on their own."

"Looks great," Kagura reassured as she got in the back. Ritsu's father leaned over the seat and smiled at them.

"Where to little lady. I always wanted to say that," he scratched at his head as his wife lightly hit him.

"To where all the screaming is, of course. The party is just getting started and we don't want to miss all the action."

Kazuma had left the gate shortly after Tohru, his absence going mostly unnoticed at the time. He had seen the lost look on Kyou's face when he told everyone what had happened to her and knew the boy wanted someone to go after her. As it turned out he ended up right next to her making her jump out of her skin in start. It was a good thing he found her so quickly, because running down the street outside the house was a mass of Tweens.

"Kazuma-dono, I have to go warn my friends and grandfather, but I don't know if I can get to them in time on foot," she looked at him pleadingly. He didn't drive and she knew that, it wasn't what she was asking. His answer was to go into the next room. He was glad that they had ended up in his house instead of the main estate. She followed after him and watched silently as he took down one of the katana that decorated the walls.

"This is one of two that was made for the purpose of taking anothers life. I will protect you on the way to the dojo. What you need is in the shed. Kyou made adjustments to it so he could keep it handy for you."

"Thank you so much." Tohru smiled and bowed to him. Together they left the house, Kazuma guiding the girl by her hand. The Tweens that spotted them never made it near her before being cut down by the blade. As they rounded the outside of the dojo and headed to the shed, Kazuma handed Tohru the key and broke away.

"Go, save your loved ones. I must tend to the Sohmas'."

Tohru nodded as she unlocked the door and disappeared into the shed. He watched her vanish, then headed back to the main house. By the time he got there the party had turned to panic and there was a hole in the side of the house. He arrived in time to watch Haru body slam a minotaur into the ground by it's horns. The beast disappated in the same fashion as the Tweens he had killed and Haru looked up at him grinning.

"Did I do a good job, Shihan?"

"Did you go 'black'?"

"Yes." Haru looked down sheepishly, knowing the answer to his inquiry. Looking through the hole in the wall, Kazuma could see it went straight through to the main sitting room. There, a small group of Sohmas', and four people Kazuma had never seen before stared out at them. One, an attractive woman in a kimono, dropped to a kneeling position.

"My house," Akito stared through the hole in disbelief.

"Now you know how I felt after you sent both Yuki and Kyou to live with me," Shigure responded.

Hana pounded on the door of the apartment until Uo, looking sleepy and a bit drunk, opened it. Her friend was still dressed and Hana figured she had drank liquor alone watching television until she passed out at the table.

"Hana, what?" Uo rubbed at her eyes, not sure if she was really seeing Hanajima or was just hallucinating.

"No time for explaination. Danger is rapidly approaching. We must find Tohru-chan."

"Uhwha? Tohru's in danger? Then what are we doing standing in my doorway, let's go get her. If one of the Sohma's has hurt her in any way, I kill them with my bare hands."

"It's not them." Hana tried to explain as Uo grabbed a jacket and the two of them headed out. Before she could even try to make sense of the bad feeling in her gut, the terror filled yelling had started. They hurried away from the apartment only to be stopped short by the sight of goblins munching on random people and destroying random property.

The creatures turned to them and began to hone in on their position, but stopped at a certian distance. They fidgeted nervously, keeping their eyes locked onto Hanajima.

"Hey Hana, either they really like you or they're afraid of you."

"Yes, it appears so. I wonder why." she smiled in a way that she took to be pleasant, but was in reality, quite creepy.

"You may have them cautious for now, but how much longer do think before they'll attack?"

"Judging from the way they are slowly moving in, not much longer."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

A high beam cut across the night and shown brightly in the creatures faces. Some of them turned away and covered their eyes. The revving of a bike engine caused Hana and Uo to look down the street. A single person on a motorbike blocked the middle of the road facing their way. The creatures hissed and growled threateningly in the bikers direction. Even if they weren't wearing a full face helmet, the night sky and distance between them would have made it hard to see who it was. The Tweens moved away from the girls in a forgetful manner that pissed Uo off a little. The biker revved the engine again, then kicked into gear and sped straight at them.

The bike ran down three Tweens and scattered the rest to the winds. They landed on buildings, poles and made strange noises before going for a second try. Uo belted several away with the pipe she grabbed before leaving the house. To her side a group of them let out a horrific sound then collapsed to the ground. They writhed, jolted, then turned to mist. The biker took out the last of them and came to a stop in front of the girls.

"I don't know who you are, but thanks. Couldn't have done it without you." Uo held out her hand to the biker and smiled. The biker removed their helmet and Uo's mouth fell open as waist length brown hair spilled down the girls back.

"I'm just glad that you're both alright. I was so worried," Tohru said as flung herself off the bike and into Hana and Uo's arms.*

Ayame had spent a good ten minutes admiring his reflection in a window of Mine's apartment building. There was actual stunned silence from not only the people but the Tweens as well. But of course the world would stop for his arrival. One as great, and bearing a presence as awe inspiring as his most certainly deserves that sort of respect. It was just the way it was. Some people were born to be great and Ayame was always proud to admit that he was one of them.

He prepped himself one more time then turned with a great flourish, loving the way the french colonial jacket hugged his body, then headed up to his rescue his damsel in distress. Mine swooned on her balcony as he shouted his intention up to her. With his words, the Tween that she had been fighting off with knitting needles made a strange sound and started to bash it's head on the railing. Ayame burst into the apartment and out on the balcony. He swished the rapier about with more gusto then was necessary and struck a pose.

The Tween stopped banging it's head, let out a terrible screech and charged at him. It's entire being filled with the desire to rid itself of Ayames' presence. It didn't get more than two inches, Mine doing it the great service of putting it out of it's misery with a needle to the cranium.

"My beloved, it brings joy to my humbled heart to know that you are safe," he pulled Mine close with one arm. She giggled like a school girl in heat as she pressed against him. It was the first time they were able to truly do so, and she was enjoying the moment, not knowing how long it would last.

"Come away with me. Together we shall save the earth from these vicious monstrosities."

"Yes, let's."

Que the kissing scene. With Mine still held close, Ayame lept over the railing and down to the street below. They landed lightly and made their way out to inflict themselves on the rest of the public, and the Tweens.

The Tweens had spilled out of the Sohma property and were on the war path in the city. People celebrating the new year in clubs, bars, and other general out on the town places were running in a panic. Telephone poles were being knocked down, windows broken, cars overturned, and bystanders eaten. Not really understanding how they were able to do so, but knowing they could, Hatori and Kureno had taken to the air. With an overhead vantage point they were able to easily find the most infested areas to make their stand.

Spears and tridents work well as both long distance and close range weapons and the Tweens were rapidly falling victim to the two men. Not long after Hatori had rescued Mayuko and her family from a gory demise he noticed it. The Tweens, while cruelly attacking everyone and thing, seemed to be particularly found of the places where the Sohmas' friends and loved ones were. Kureno had found Tohru and her friends beating back a hoard out on the streets and had gone to help.

Hatori had watched as Kagura met up with Ritsu and Yuki, with a small group of his own, and was about to converge with them. That wasn't what had him worried at all. No, what had him worried was the fact that he had just seen his car speeding down the road. Judging by the driving, he'd say that Shigure had liberated his spare keys from his office. The mutt was going down once the Tween problem was taken care of.

As it was, all the Sohmas, as well as a few he wasn't sure about, were moving toward the same spot. He knew why as well.

"Do you see it too?" Kureno had rejoined him in the sky, this time with a passenger. One of Tohru's friends was clinging tightly to his shoulders. Hatori got the impression the girl had insisted on it.

"Yes, the Tweens are gathering together. But why. It has me worried."

"Then I guess it wouldn't ease your troubles any if I told you that I think Shigure has your car," Kureno informed him.

"I already know and believe me, he will be punished, if there is so much as one little dent in it." Hatori's eyes blazed as he spoke.

"Save it for the Tweens."

"So you can fly too. I don't suppose you could teach me how to?" the girl asked.

"This is a tempory and very recent talent that we picked up. Even if we knew how we are able to do this, I don't think I could pass it on, miss...?" Hatori looked at her in question.

"Uotani, and I figured you'd say that. Hey look, there's Tohru and Hana," she pointed down at a motorcycle with two passagers heading towards the rest of the group.

"Let's go." Kureno said as he executed a dive, Hatori following soon after.

They touched down just as the van pulled to a stop next to the writhing black mass of what had once been Tweens. More and more of them were joining their fellows, meshing into one another. Kagura, Ritsu, Yuki, and three teenagers got out of the van and stared at the blob of Tween. Around the corner the motorcycle carrying Tohru and Hana appeared. Tohru came to a stop next to the van, as the mass doubled in size. Kisa and Rin jumped down from the rooftops they had been running across in time with Hatori's car as it's brakes squealed loudly under Shigure's back door burst open and Hiro all but fell out.

"I'm still alive. Thank you gods above," he shouted as he kissed the ground.

"It wasn't that bad." Haru told him as he and Momiji joined him outside the car.

"Yes, it was," Akito glared over the hood at Shigure as she exited the passager side.

"Should I let you drive next time, then?" he smirked, knowing full well that he was the only one of them that had a license and any experience behind the wheel.

The hummer that Hatori had been curious about pulled up, and a middle aged man, chomping on a cigar, got out.

"What do you make of that boss?" he asked a younger man, pointing at the Tween pile.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." the man replied.

"But, Yumi shut the gate down. Shouldn't they all, like, disappear or something?" a boy who looked no older then 19 shifted about nervously.

"I shut it down, but that only stopped more from getting out. We still need to destroy the parasites that escaped while it was open. Either way, these ones are super strong, and I've never seen them act this way before," she turned to the Sohmas' and asked a question that was on the minds of many people to be sure, "what the fuck is wrong with you people that you were able to create something like this?"

"Oh, a vast many things I'm sure. Maybe someday I'll write a book about it."

Everyone turned and stared at the person who spoke, their eyes widened and their throats seized shut.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead? And what the hell happened to your body?" Yuki asked the new arrival. Kyou just shrugged and smiled at him, his tail swished lazily behind him.

Tohru's face contorted as tears welled up in her eyes. She jumped into Kyou's arms and held on for all she was worth. That was the scene Ayame chose to enter on with Mine by his side.

"I see that you are enjoying the warmth of an outsiders embrace as well. Aside from that want did we miss?"

"The Tweens are merging into one ultimate being and Kyou is now an undead catboy." Haru told him.

"I'm not undead. The cat gave up a bit of itself so I could fight too. That's all."

"But we didn't end up with paws," Yuki countered.

"That's because right now the spirits of the animals are working through you, but the cat and I had to completely merge on a spiritual level in order for me to be here. If we stay this way for to long there won't be anything left of us, not even our spirits. So, could we maybe hurry up and kill the giant Tween," he pointed behind them and everyone turned to see the Tweens had finished with their transformation. The end result was something huge that resembled a human. It was completely pitch black, save for it's glowing red eyes. Slowly it rose up to it's full height let out an angry scream as it swung it's arm low, taking out several buildings as it did so.

Debris rained down on them, but instead of hitting them it bounced off the force shield that Akito had quickly thrown up. Haru hoisted his axe and yelled up at the being.

"That's it your going down. That was one of my favorite restaurants you just annihilated. And as I said before there isn't room in this world for you."

The giant stopped and looked down at them, as far as they could tell anyway. It's eyes glowed even brighter and it seemed a little bit pissed off by the shout. Then, much the their surprise, it spoke.

"If there is no room for me, then I will make room. By destroying all of you." Though it's voice was deep and loud, it sounded slightly familiar. The thought bounced around in Yuki's head. A heart stopping thought crossed his mind and he turned to look at Kyou. The other boy noticed his staring and looked away.

"Come on. I haven't got all night to wait for this to end, so let's take it down and be done with it," Kyou shouted at the others to get them all going. A chorus of agreement met his speech, if one were inclined to call it that. He turned to Tohru and steered her and the others who weren't family away.

"I want all of you to stay out of this as much as possible. We are the ones responsible for making that monster, and we are the ones who should stop it."

The group tried to protest, but the other Sohma's backed Kyou up and turned down their friends attempts to help. Finally, Tohru called them all off. After giving a kiss to Kyou she got on the bike and headed away. Before she left she shouted over her shoulder.

"I'll be close by, in case you change your mind and need me," then she was gone. Their friends following after her in search of safe ground. The roar of the beast behind them chasing after. As another building fell, the group remaining turned their immediate focus on their enemy.

"Let's go."

The raining chunks of brick and metal caused them to scatter and regroup. Singular attacks were proving to be usless and most of their attempts were batted away with ease. Each sweep of the Tweens hand destroyed another business or apartment complex. Due to it's size it moved though the city quickly, and few of the fourteen could keep up. Ten minutes felt like hours. They were exhausting themselves while it seemed only to get stronger. A vicious backhand nearly took off Hatori's arm and sent him crashing through a storefront.

Maybe it was the blow to the head that caused it, but as he regained his footing the most absurd idea came to him. They would have to fight as a team. How, was the question. None of them were what you would call team players, not by a long shot, and they had zero experience as a group. As Hatori snapped his shoulder back into it's socket, he concluded that defense was the first thing they needed to work on. Akito couldn't shield what she couldn't see and those arms needed to be immobilized. The Tween didn't have any discernable legs or feet, all that was there was an equally dark cloud that swirled about. There wasn't much they could do about that, but if they could restrain it's hands then they could possibly slow it down.

He smiled as a plan took form in his mind. There was just one thing he needed to know to make this easier.

The agents and other non-Sohmas covered their heads as the shaking ground caused dust and bits of ceiling tile to fall on them. So far the Tween was winning. Tommy was beginning to sweat from the pressure of his assignment. The gate had been his first real mission, and to this point it had gone bad. No, not bad, terrible, horrendous, the worst thing ever. He was so going to get fired.

"Hey, new kid. How is that analysis coming? Found anything yet?" Jacek leaned over his shoulder and stared at his work. Tommy's nervousness went up another ten percent. Just when he was about to choke out a reply, the computer flashed green. Tommy stared at the screen in disbelief. That was it, what he was looking for. Jacek patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Good job, Tom."

"Th, thanks, boss."

"Now we just have to get this information out to them."

There was an unsettling quiet, as they all silently abdicated the responsibility of going back out on the battle field. A timid clearing of the throat from behind them caused the group to turn, as one, to stare at poor Tohru. The girl eeped and backpedaled a step before regathering her courage and entering their circle.

"I'll take it to them. I can go on the bike. It's faster and more agile then your vehicle and safer then going on foot." she looked away after making her offer, her eyes seeking out something other then their faces to stare at.

"Why don't I go on the bike? I don't want to unnecessarily endanger a civilian life." Jacek held out his hand towards her helmet.

"No, I want to go." Tohru stepped away, clutching the helmet tightly in her hands. "I need to go. They have all done so much for me, and I want to help them now." her determination was plainly evident in her stance.

"Fine. If that's what you want."

"Boss." the other three all called out at once. "You can't just let her..." they protested.

"We don't have time to waste arguing. For every second that goes by, more of this world is put in danger." he turned his back on his crew and grabbed Tohru by the arm leading her out. "This is what you have to tell them..."

When Hatori had started to give orders, the others all simply obeyed. It never occurred to them not to, seeing as they were used to the doctor telling them what to do. Don't overwork yourself, breathe deep, turn your head and cough, tie down the Tweens arms and try to keep them still while we attack various weak points. It was all doctors orders to them.

The Tween was getting angry, they could tell by it's enraged roar when Yuki and Hiro each captured an arm. At first, it had shook them around like rag dolls, but now each had back up support from other family members. Ritsu and Haru were backing up Hiro, with Shigure and Ayame helping Yuki. Kureno was holding on tight to a very focused looking Akito. As the others bombarded random areas on the monsters body it was her job to protect them when they got thrown back or, as happened to Kisa, the Tween tried to eat them in mid air. Akito almost didn't make the shield in time for that one, and Kisa's nerves were shaken afterwards.

It didn't stop her from going back on the assault, but it did give her an interesting view to have nightmares about when this was all over. It was when Kyou was sent tumbling head over heels past Yuki's group that Tohru pulled up.

"What do you think your doing here? I told you to stay where it's safe." Kyou shouted as he got back up. His ears were pulled back at the sides of his head and his words came out with an accompanying hiss.

"I'm not staying long. I have a message for you. Those people you seem to know said to aim for the very center of it's chest. That's it weakest point. It needs to be an exact hit or you'll just make it angrier instead of killing it."

"Center of the chest, hmm. Got it." he dropped down to all fours and prepared to return to battle as Tohru pulled the bike around to leave.

"Oh, Tohru. Thanks. That's a big help." then he was gone. Tohru nodded after him and ducked around the block to watch, from as close as she could.

As he ran past them, Kyou shouted out what was needed to finish everything. The groups securing it's arms redoubled their efforts, Kagura and Kisa aimed their attacks at it's middle, while Rin and Hatori went for it's eyes to distract it. The slash Kisa was able to make caused it to scream in agony. A wound, for the first time, opened up in her wake. Kagura's follow up tore it open even farther, but it wasn't down just yet. The center began to glow with a fierce red light.

"I will not let you defeat me!" it screamed, as it's strength renewed. "You don't deserve to live! You don't deserve this world! I hate you all!" Hiro and his helpers where lifted off the ground and swung around. They were slammed in the ground with a terrifying crash that scattered dust and debris everywhere. The faint light of the force field vanishing placated the others. They would be hurting, but the shield had taken most of the impact. Kyou seethed at it's words.

"That's not for you to decide!" he told it, then turning to Kagura, "Give me a boost, will you. This ends now."

She nodded in understanding and acted as his springboard even as she wondered if Kyou would be able to make it. The others watched as he rebounded off the closest building still semi-standing, picking up speed as he went. A sudden turn and he had launched himself right at the beast's chest, where the previous wound still throbbed red. The light glimmer of Akito's power flashed before his eyes just as he hit. A second later he existed out the other end of the Tween.

It let out the most retched sound and began to shrink rapidly, losing form as it went. As Kyou bounced along the ground in a spectacularly botched landing, the Tween took one more form. The Sohmas watched as Kyou's face stared angrily at them, the body misting away.

"I will always hate you."it hissed, and then it was gone. They stared at the spot it had been as the whole night slowly sank in. The blackness of night didn't seem so dark and Yuki wondered if the stars had been out this whole time. If they had, were they always so bright. The adrenalin was fading away, and in the distance the first light of morning was beginning to peak over the horizon.

The new year sun would rise to greet a shattered city and bone weary people. As the two flyers touched down and let Akito to her feet they all felt it. The strange sense that had become a part of them when the animals had joined with them was leaving. The zodiac and god were leaving. It was a hallowing sensation as one by one the spirits that had been with them left, never to return.

"It's all over, isn't it?" Haru looked around at everyone in question. They didn't answer him, not that he expected them to. In the distance Tohru and their friends were running towards them, cheering the victory loudly. Tohru ran past the majority of them, heading to were Kyou stood, watching the sun rise with his back turned to them. When the cat's spirit had left, he had returned to his normal, human appearance.

"Kyou-kun, you really did it. We won." she touched his shoulder. Slowly he turned around to face her. He smiled sadly at her and raised his hand to caress her cheek.

"Sorry, Tohru." blood spilled over his lips when he spoke, and Tohru noticed that the wound he had recieved from Silk was open again. Blood was seeping through his shirt, once more staining the fabric.

"Kyou-kun?" she stood in shock as his hand fell away and he dropped backwards, away from her.

Kyou watched in a detached manner as Kureno and Akito held back the younger family members as Shigure and Ayame followed Hatori's command. The doctor was working desperately to return life to Kyou's body. Next to him stood a young woman, who shook her head sadly before tugging on his sleeve.

"Hey Jari. How's it going?"

"My name is Kyou, I'd prefer it if you called me that. Jari is so juvenile* sounding, I'm not a little kid anymore. And to answer your question, I'm dead, again. How do you think it's going?"

"I now you're not a kid but, you'll always be Jari to me. Come on, you ready to go yet? He said there was a place waiting for you, if you want."

Kyou didn't need to ask who 'he' was. He had heard God say that as he and his thirteen ascended. He sighed deeply, or as deeply as someone who wasn't really breathing could, and watched the three men working frantically to save him. Kyoko pulled on his arm again. He turned away from his family and began to follow her lead. His eyes latched onto, what was probably the only undamaged window in the whole town. It reflected the actions of the Sohmas, the winter frost around the edge of the sill made it look vaguely like a framed picture.

Funny, the things one thinks of when they are going to their eternal sleep. Tohru was crying, he could see her quite clearly. Before they completely passed the window, Kyou came to a stop. Kyoko looked back at the sudden halting of their steps.

"Frost."*

"Kyou?"

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep."

Back in the land of the living, Hatori stopped what he was doing and gently pushed Shigure away from the body. At the others look of confusion, he simply shook his head in defeat before sitting back and letting his head fall into his hands. There was nothing more they could do. Behind them, the younger relatives watched, horrified by his solemn actions. As the first ray of sunlight shone upon the ravaged landscape, the sound that greeted it was Tohru's heartaching scream.

Omake

Let Them Eat Cake

Tohru's birthday was today. Kyou knew this because this morning the damn rat had said Happy Birthday to her, and she had gusted her gratitude that he remembered. It wasn't that Kyou had forgotten, just that noone had ever told him when her birthday was. Her friends had taken her out for a day of shopping. More like, staring at things they couldn't afford, but if it made her happy what did he care.

Right now he had more important things to worry about. He knew others didn't know about the date as well, Shigure hadn't, and had said something about informing everyone. So he had left on a mission to collect, more like extort, some small gifts from them. Not that such a thing was necessary, everyone loved Tohru, they would get her something anyway when he told them. But Kyou was never real good with figuring out what to get someone.

So he decided to make her something. Unlike the vermin and the mut, he was quite capable in the kitchen. He couldn't understand how you couldn't be, all you had to do was follow the recipe in the book. Which was why he was now standing in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on a cake. Baking was simple, decorative frosting was not. Finally done, Kyou took the time to wash the cake batter and homemade frosting out of his hair and clothes.

He would look presentable when she got home, damn it. Finished he headed down to take out the strawberry and cream cake that had taken a good portion of the day to get just right. He had left it in the fridge just in case she came home earlier than expected. She hadn't.

Has he pulled it out, Yuki just woken from an afternoon nap wandered into the kitchen. He wobbled over to Kyou and the cake on the counter. Kyou could tell he was still groggy and probably not yet aware of his surroundings. Yuki was always the most dangerous at times like stared at Kyou, then the cake, then he reached out and ran hand through the frosting on the side, leaving a deep gash in the white confection.

It was pure instinct, there was no thought behind the action and because of that Yuki was unable to sense the hand before it connected with his face in the Ultimate Bitch Slap of Doom. Kyou hadn't even been aware that he was doing it until he had smacked the other boy. The force making his palm sting.

The unexpected blow had so much momentum that it knocked Yuki to the ground. There was a long moment of stillness as the group of people in the door, including Tohru, stared open mouthed. Slowly Yuki looked up at Kyou whose face was still devoid of expression.

"You slapped me."

Kyou looked down at Yuki, then at his hand.

"Wow, I did, didn't I. Imagine that." They both turned to look at everyone standing in the door way. Kyou suddenly brightened as he smiled at Tohru.

"Happy Birthday. I feel like celebrating. So,who wants cake?"

Japanese Word of the Day

Danketsu suru - band, unite

Bogyo - defense

Okasu - commit, violate

J-Notes

Sister- okay, we all know Momo is in fact Momiji's sister. However, in Japan it is common for small children to refer to older people around Momiji's age as Old Brother, or Oniisan. So Momo calling Momiji brother isn't too out of the ordinary and noone would think twice about it. This aside an older person would not refer to a younger as their little brother or sister. The term Momiji would have used would be oujo-chan, little miss, or just Momo-chan. By calling her his sister he is in fact stating that she _is_ his sister. Hence, her confusion and delight.

Tohru's bike- this is one of those things I wasn't able to find time or space to put in the story. Essentially, Tohru goes to meet with Kyou for the martial arts lessons he blackmailed her into taking and finds him working on a bike. She then rattles off all the modifications he's made to it in wonder and excitement. Surprised, he asks her were she learned all that stuff from. She tells him her mother used to take her riding during the summers. Later he more or less gives her the bike. The way I see it, Kyoko's nickname came from the fact that she used to ride when she was in the gang, so I would imagine she probably kept up with it. It would be a fun activity to take Tohru out every once in awhile. Besides it gives Tohru a bit more depth as a character to have something unexpected for a hobby.

Jari = juvinile - Jari is a common nickname for small children, used by people who don't have any relative connection. Kyoko calls Kyou that when she first meets him, because he doesn't tell her his name right away. Probably on the basis that it was very similar to his own. The word jari means gravel, or something like that. Most likely a reference to small children being close to the ground.

Frost- the poem Kyou is reciting is by Robert Frost. The frost on the window in conjuction with what was happening is what reminded him of it.


	20. Endof the World as We Know It

Chuuin: Watakushi wa Fruits Basket no shoyuuken issai arimasen. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

A/N: The End.

Title: The End of the World as We Know It by R.E.M.

* * *

The therapist that I have to see in order to get my degree in Psych, suggested that I try writing a journal, when I told him I didn't feel comfortable telling him my life story. So that's what I'm doing. I don't really know what to write about. I guess I should start at the beginning, though there isn't much I remember from that time. It was so long ago. I remember that I was born fully grown into a world that was not my own. I know that's hard to believe, even for me, but it's true. I could walk and talk, read and write. Though the language I wrote in was not the one native to the world I was in. I think we walked a lot there, at first, never staying in one place for long.

I suppose I should mention what I mean by we, as well. When I first woke, I was not alone...–excerpt from The Road Less Traveled. A Drifters Diary.

s

The blaring sounds of emergency vehicles drew Tohru's attention to the ambulance that was speeding down the street. She sighed forlornly, nothing ruined a prefectly nice day, then the thought of someone suffering somewhere. She turned her eyes back to the sky and tried to block out the sound and the memories it brought.

"Hey, Tohru. Good thing I caught up to you. Here, I almost forgot to give you your notes back. Thanks for the loan." Tohru smiled pleasantly back at the girl from her class.

"No problem. I hope they helped. It's hard missing a few days in Tamazaki-sensei's class."

"Yeah, they helped a lot. Hey, nice helmet design. I didn't know you rode. Never would have pictured it, actually." the girl laughed in a self-criticizing way.

"Yes, actually. My mother taught me to ride. I'm glad you like the design. It's my own."

"Wow, cool. So does it have some kind of meaning or you just like butterflies." the girl pointed to the helmet, indicating the three butterflies in different colors.

"This is my mother," Tohru pointed to the big red one, "and this is me," she moved to the smaller pink one, "and this is my first love." she smiled brightly as her fingers caressed the small orange one next to the pink one. Her mind drifted away as she thought of him. Her class mate's giggle snapped her back to the present.

"That's is so sweet. Well, I should be going. See ya tomorrow, and thanks again for the notes. Man, college is a lot harder then they let you believe."

"I need to be going too. I'm suppose to meet up with my fiancé in a hour. If I don't get there soon Uo-chan and Hana-chan will drive him up the walls." With that said Tohru headed off to the college parking lot. As she headed out she giggled happily as she replayed her words. Fiancé, she loved saying that. They had agreed to wait until she graduated, but it still made her giddy to think about the life she was heading towards.

Her mother would have been proud. If only everyone could say the same. Poor Momiji, his mother still didn't have any memory of him being her son. At least he had Momo, the two often played violin together now, their father allowing it, now that the curse was gone. It was still funny to think of everyones faces when Momo let out that she had been spying on Momiji. Kisa had turned beet red when Momiji thanked her for showing Momo the hole in the wall so she could see him. Of course she put the blame on Haru for showing her, and he defended himself by saying it was Kagura that showed him. Apparently, everyone under the age of twenty knew of that spot on the property wall.

Speaking of Kagura, Tohru wondered how the girl was doing with her new boyfriend. She was suppose to be bringing him by to meet everyone this weekend. It was the only time that the whole extended mess of Sohmas would be available to test his sincerity. Really, Tohru thought it kinda cruel to subject the poor soul to Ritsu without any warning, but it wasn't her place to say that. Besides, Ritsu had calmed down quite a bit. Helping to save the world did that to some people. On the whole life had return to normal for the Sohmas, or maybe it was better to say, life became normal for the Sohmas. With the curse gone, they no longer had reason to fear and could interact on the same level as the rest of the world.

As Tohru pulled to a stop she overheard the news being displayed on the live billboard across the street. The news caster was talking about the end of the reconstruction needed after the New Years earthquake four years ago. Tohru wondered what would have happened if the bureau hadn't erased everyone's memory of the Tweens. The light turned green and she put the thought out of her head.

She ended up having to park in a garage three blocks away from the café they were suppose to meet at. As she walked up the street she could hear a commotion from the outdoor patio for the shop Uo-chan worked at. Everyone's official gathering place. As she got closer she could make out Uo-chans voice and her fiancé's arguing loudly.

"How many time's do I have to say it. Something like that never happened! Never, in all the places I've been to has that been possible."

"And how would you know for sure? You said so yourself, you don't remember much."

"That's a pretty memorable occasion. I wouldn't have forgotten. Look, just accept the facts, I've never had a baby. Men don't get pregnant."

"You've been to other worlds with advanced technology and alien races, and one of them can do that? I find that hard to believe. You just don't want to admit it."

Tohru stepped up to the table in time to watch as what ever retort Kyou had in mind caught in his throat. His mouth moved but no sound came out. He stopped trying and slouched in his seat, giving Uotani a truly foul look. Ever since he had awakened in the Bureau hospital, Tohru at his side, his voice had come and gone. The doctors said it was do to the damage caused by the spike in Silk, no Angelica's, mechanical arm. When ever he got too worked up and started to yell a lot it would give out on him. She didn't care that he couldn't always speak, she was just happy to have him with her.

It had been touch and go for two months after the Tween incident. She had sat by his side the whole time, while the Sohmas took turns visiting. It seemed so long ago now. Tohru sat down next to him and he looked pleadingly at her.

"You should know better than to yell so much at once. Remember what the doctors said at your last appointment. Your vocal cords haven't fully healed since you last damaged them."

His responded with his hands instead of his mouth. Tohru watched his hands and fingers move and contort as he made his excuse. Tohru looked over at Uotani in disappointment.

"Uo-chan, please stop inciting my fiancé. You know that never happened, you've read all his books. If you keep making him yell at you, he might lose his ability to talk permanently. And I like when he whispers sweet little nothings in my ear." Tohru smiled as Kyou blushed all the way to his hair line and Uotani gave him a suggestive look.

"Now, I know you two are getting married but your not there just yet. I hope you haven't been trying to take her innocence before the vows are spoken. Have you?"

He gave her a sign that was universal and she didn't need to know sign language to understand its meaning.

"He wouldn't. He knows what would happen to him if he did." Hanajima entered her two cents on the matter. Her look, calm, yet dangerous. Kyou met her stare with one of his own. The two seemed to have some sort of silent conversation. After what felt like an age had passed, they came to an agreement and looked away from eachother. Tohru and Uotani just shrugged it off.

"Anyway, are you ready to go. I stopped by the apartment and picked up my gear. Do you have yours already or do we need to go back to the store and pick it up?" Tohru asked.

Kyou signed that he had his and picked up the case to show her the truth to his words.

"Hey, where are you two going, anyway? Mr. Chaplin over here never did say." Uotani's taunt was met with an equally childish response from Kyou, as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"We're going to the sky park to dance."

"You mean you got your own A.G.R.'s. Man, no fair I'm jealous. I've wanted to try that, but the stores are always sold out."

Kyou 'said' something to Tohru which she happily translated for the girls.

"Kyou says you should have mentioned it sooner. If you want he can make you your own customized ones for a discount."

"Wait, you mean the antigravity rings were made by...?"

"That's right," Tohru pulled out her set and showed Uotani the label. Two M's with a cat sitting on them, while it batted at a butterfly. Mischief and Mayhems logo.

"It figures. Leave it to the guy whose been everywhere and knows everything to make the next best thing in entertainment."

Once again Tohru translated. "'I haven't been everywhere and I certainly don't know everything.' Sorry Uo-chan, Hana-chan, but we really need to go now. See you later."

s

At the park they didn't have to wait in line. Boys muttered indignantly as Kyou and Tohru were shown through the gate without ticket or wait. Girls giggled and gossiped as the cute couple past them. Once inside, they snapped the small rings on securely to their wrists and ankles and together ascended into the sky. They soared though the air like birds, dancing around each other in a courtship ritual that time had forgotten. Their cares, worries, and pasts fell away from them. As they finally reach their desired altitude, he took her hands in his and looked lovingly into her eyes.

As their lips met in a chaste, yet passionate kiss, Tohru thought,

'This is freedom, this is paradise.'

The End.

* * *

Omake

Good Bye

The entire cast, cannon and original alike, gather to stand before the readers. As one, they bow low in gratitude and together they speak.

"Thank you for reading. We hope that you enjoyed the story and wish to see you again some day." They rise from the bow, turn stage right and exit.

Japanese Word of the Day

Inochi - life

Musubi - end, conclusion

J-Notes

Momo through the rabbit hole- I know that it's implied the Yuki is the one to tell Momo about it, but that is going overboard with his character. I just got so sick of him always being the one do stuff like that and since it's never stated outright that was him, I did as I pleased with it. Personally, I can't imagine Yuki having any reason to be anywhere near Momo in the first place, let alone interacting with her on the level implied. Kisa is a more reasonable character to pick, simply because she is closer to age and Momo seems the type to find it easier to talk with another girl then a boy. Also considering that it appears most of the Sohmas go to the same school as each other, it's not to much of a stretch to think that Momo goes there as well. If she does go to the same all girls school as Kisa it is reasonable to think that they occasionally cross paths and talk to each other.

Mr. Chaplin- a reference to silent film star Charlie Chaplin. I would imagine that Japan would have an equivalent to him, but I don't know who that would be. So you get Charlie, just pretend she mention a famous Japanese person instead, or think of it as a Japanese to English joke translation exchange. They do that a lot with dubbed anime anyway.


End file.
